Father appears in court for manslaughter in alleged overdose of Tri-Cities 4-year-old

A 30-year-old father made his first appearance in court Monday on charges he allowed his 4-year-old daughter to get access to some deadly fentanyl pills.

Joseph Walker appeared by video from the Benton County jail four days after his arrest in Richland. He is charged with first-degree manslaughter and violating a protection order in connection with the Dec. 27 death of Ryleigh Walker.

He continues to be held on $500,000 bail and is expected to enter a plea and have his trial scheduled on Tuesday. He also was ordered to stay 500 feet away from his 8-year-old son.

The children’s mother, Judy Bribiescas, 39, also is charged with first-degree manslaughter. Her trial was set for March 4.

Police believe Walker and Bribiescas were allegedly in the bathroom in their room at the Econo Lodge on Ely Street, when the girl allegedly swallowed two pills believed to be fentanyl, according to court documents.

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.

When they came out of the room about 9:30 p.m., they discovered the girl unresponsive on the bed and called 911, according to the charging documents.

Police administered naloxone, a fast-acting drug used to counter opioid overdoses, but it wasn’t effective. She was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Doctors allegedly discovered two pills in her stomach and another one in her nose that was believed to be fentanyl.

Walker was supposed to stay away from Bribescas after a July 2022 protection order was issued. However, security footage from the motel showed Walker, Bribiescas and the children walk into the motel room at 8:20 p.m.