YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — A fourth-grader in Youngstown, Ohio died the day after Christmas, but police said they just received the report on what killed the 9-year-old.
The Mahoning County Coroner’s Office said that 9-year-old Marcus Lee Jr. died of acute cocaine toxicity.
Lee died at Akron Children’s Hospital after being taken there from his mother’s home on Dec. 26.
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Police told WFMJ that Lee's test results from the coroner's report were "off the charts." They believe that he took the drug orally. Police said cocaine was found in Lee's stomach, WFMJ reported.
No cocaine was found in the home, but police said they were not contacted until a few hours after Lee died.
Lee’s father and stepmother said that what they were originally told about the boy’s death didn’t sound true.
Marcus Lee Sr. told WFMJ, "I was angry. It was told to me it was a seizure or a defect, something that was unstoppable. Nobody was told the truth. I wasn't told the truth."
Police said the child's mother has hired an attorney and they haven't been able to speak to her. Two other children in the house have been removed by county children's services, WFMJ reported.
Lee’s death is now being investigated as a possible homicide,
[ the Associated Press reported ]
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