A 5-year-old boy who died after cops found him foaming at the mouth in a Bronx apartment had methadone in his system, police said.
The deadly drug that De’Neil Timberlake is believed to have ingested over the weekend likely came from his father Darrell Timberlake — a 42-year-old methadone user with a long history of child neglect cases, said NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell Tuesday.
The elder Timberlake has not been charged in his son’s death, Chell said.
“We’re still going through the investigation,” Chell said. “But as of right now, the kid died basically from methadone ingestion.”
The preliminary toxicology report arrived Monday, a day after medics and NYPD officers responded to a desperate 911 call about the 5-year-old not breathing inside a Belmont apartment, authorities said.
Doctors pronounced De’Neil dead on arrival when he reached nearby St. Barnabas Hospital, and didn’t note any obvious signs of trauma or injury, Chell said.
The boy, who lived with his struggling father in the Bassford Avenue apartment, hadn’t felt well Saturday, Chell said.
“He tried to eat cereal and ended up vomiting, very lethargic, wouldn’t play with siblings, and wouldn’t watch TV,” he said.
De’Neil went to sleep on a mattress on the floor, nuzzled between his father and a 27-year-old female cousin, Chell said.
By early Sunday, Darrell Timberlake couldn’t wake his son, began screaming and called 911, according to Chell.
He said police searched the home and found empty baggies with an as-yet-unknown residue that is being tested. The deceased child’s half brother, 12, and half sister, 11, were removed by authorities from the residence and taken to their grandfather’s house, according to the chief of patrol.
“Darrell Timberlake has one previous arrest for acting in a manner of causing harm to a child and a significant (Administration for Children’s Services) history,” Chell said.
The history includes nine total cases, ranging from neglectful and inadequate guardianship to not providing food, clothing or shelter, according to Chell.
There was a previous arrest for assaulting one of his children’s mothers in 2018 while the kids were present, Chell said.