NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office arrested two parents on drug possession charges after their infant child died at a hospital.
Melissa Sue Irons, 35, and Scott Alan Irons, 34, were booked in the Nassau County Jail. Melissa Irons has a $15,000 bond and Scott Irons has a $25,000 bond.
News4JAX spoke with the child’s aunt and uncle, Kristen and Alfred Schwartz, who said Melissa and Scott Irons had moved in with them from Georgia several weeks ago.
They also called 911 after hearing screaming coming from the bedroom.
“We didn’t know what happened. All we saw was that there was an issue and 911 needed to be called,” Schwartz said.
Deputies responded to a residence on South 6th Street in Fernandina Beach on June 19 for a call regarding an unresponsive 1-year-old girl who didn’t appear to have a heartbeat.
“She wasn’t moving. Her face was purple. It looked like she wasn’t breathing. We were in shock,” Schwartz said.
Officials said the child died at the hospital.
“We’re all taking it hard. Trying to grieve and try to push forward,” the child’s uncle, Alfred Schwartz, said.
Investigators found a powdery substance commonly used for narcotics on the tray of a baby’s crib, along with drug paraphernalia around the house.
Police also found a pouch in Melissa Irons’ bedroom drawer that contained a purple substance that tested positive for fentanyl.
They also found a bag with a substance in Scott Irons’ wallet, which tested positive for fentanyl.
The aunt and uncle said they didn’t have a clue that the couple had illegal drugs in their bedroom.
Additional charges could be added following autopsy results.