Tri-Cities mom appears in court after preschool daughter’s suspected fentanyl death
A 39-year-old woman appeared in court for the first time Friday following the suspected fentanyl-related death of her 4-year-old daughter late Wednesday.
Judy Bribiescas has been in Benton County jail since Thursday morning on investigation of first-degree manslaughter and possession of fentanyl.
She appeared Friday by video link to be advised of her rights, and for prosecutors to request a protection order that will prevent her from coming within 1,000 feet of her 8-year-old son.
She did not attempt to dispute either the protection order or the $200,000 bail amount keeping her in the Benton County jail.
Her son told investigators that he and his sister were dropped off by their father at the Econo Lodge on the 300 block of North Ely Street on Wednesday evening.
According to court documents, Bribiescas had a protection order that their father was violating by coming near her. He has not been charged in connection with the case.
Police believe Bribiescas and the children’s father went into the bathroom to use drugs. In the meantime, the 4-year-old girl found and swallowed at least two fentanyl pills and had another stuck in her nose, court documents said.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine and hundreds of times stronger than street-level heroin, federal officials have said.
Bribiescas told police she found the girl unresponsive and called 911.
When the first Kennewick police officer arrived soon after the 9:30 p.m. call, he tried using naloxone, a nasal spray used to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses. But it didn’t help.
Medics rushed her to Trios Southridge Hospital, less than four miles away, but doctors could not save her.
They found two mostly intact pills, along with multiple pill fragments in her stomach. The pill from her nose was pink and similar to what is commonly known as “Skittles” fentanyl.
Fentanyl caused nearly all Tri-City overdose deaths in the first half of this year. That followed a record high number of fentanyl-related deaths in 2022 in the Tri-Cities area.
This story was originally published December 29, 2023 at 4:11 PM.