Woman Charged with Manslaughter After Allegedly Taking Drugs, Falling Asleep on 9-Week-Old Baby

A pill found at the crime scene tested positive for fentanyl

Mary Elizabeth Evans. Photo: Bay County Sheriff's Office Facebook

Florida authorities have made an arrest in the death of a nine-week-old baby, arresting the child's babysitter eight months after the infant was suffocated.

PEOPLE confirmed the Bay County Sheriff's Office has charged Mary Evans, 40, with one count of aggravated manslaughter of a child.

Evans was minding the unnamed victim on the day the child died, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.

"Emergency responders were called to an address in Fountain" back on June 6, 2021, and "upon arrival, deputies located Mary Evans unresponsive, as well as a nine-week-old child she had been babysitting."

The infant was also unresponsive, and Evans and the child were rushed to an area hospital.

Doctors were able to revive Evans, but the baby was long dead.

"Investigators determined that Evans had purchased narcotics earlier that day and had ingested them by crushing and snorting the pills before taking care of the child," police said in the statement. "She was discovered unconscious, sitting on the side of her bed, with her upper body completely covering the child."

The baby, who has not been identified, suffocated under the weight of the sleeping Evans.

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"A blue pill that crime scene investigators located near where Mary was found was tested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and confirmed to be pressed fentanyl," police allege in the statement.

Evans remains in police custody, but bond information for her was unavailable.

It was unclear Thursday if she had entered a plea to the charge. PEOPLE was unable to identify her attorney or confirm if she has one.