PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A Portsmouth mother faces several charges after bringing her son to a hospital after he had died.
The incident happened on Monday, according to an updated news release from police.
Kara Faulkner, 31, took her 5-year-old son, Carter, to Maryview Hospital for medical help. He was pronounced dead on arrival.
In the latest court documents, 13News Now learned more about what led up to the incident.
According to a search warrant of an address in the 3800 block of Turnpike Road, Portsmouth police said they got a call from the medical staff members at Maryview Hospital when nurses noticed the circumstances surrounding the boy's death appeared suspicious.
Detectives said Faulkner told them she tried waking her son up for school when she noticed his feet were cold and he was not responding. She told investigators she didn't call 911 because an "ambulance would have taken too long," so she took her son to the hospital.
Court documents said ER nurses discovered the boy died several hours before he and his mother arrived.
In an initial interview with police, Faulkner admitted to meeting with her drug dealer Sunday night and leaving Carter in the care of the drug dealer as she went out to a Wawa to buy cartridges.
She told police she bought fentanyl and cocaine from her dealer, which were near the boy Sunday evening, hours before his death.
According to court documents, Faulkner told nurses, "I was chilling with some friends last night and when he went to sleep, he was fine."
In the search warrant, police officers said nurses told them they believe the boy died from an overdose, but medical records have not yet confirmed the boy's cause of death.
Previous court records show detectives arrested Faulkner in 2016 for having cocaine and heroin. Documents state she went through a behavioral health program shortly after her arrest.
Per the document, behavioral health leaders said Faulkner told them she was pregnant toward the end of her treatment in 2017.
Faulkner's address in court records is listed on Hamilton Avenue, a different location than the Turnpike Road address where police conducted their search warrant.
Neighbors on Hamilton Avenue said they would see the 5-year-old in the area. Children's toys were seen strewn about the front lawn.
A mother herself, Nikki Pedreria called him a "happy-looking child."
"It's sad... especially for the rest of the family. This time of year, this is what they're going to think of... not happy or joy, you know," she said. "It just breaks my heart. I can't imagine something like that happening to any of my kids. I have three and my youngest is 6. I can't imagine that. It breaks my heart to even think that he went through that."
Faulkner is facing the following charges:
- Contributing to the delinquency of a minor
- Child Neglect
- Child Cruelty
- Possession of a Schedule I or II Controlled Substance
- 2nd Degree Murder
- Concealing/Moving a Corpse
Faulkner is currently in the custody of the Portsmouth Sheriff's Office. She is scheduled back in court on January 30, 2023.