Mother, boyfriend charged in overdose death of 2-year-old appear in court

CLEVELAND -- (WJW) -- A couple charged in the overdose death of a 2-year-old Cleveland boy appeared in court Thursday.

John Hines, Jr., 33, took illegal drugs to the house of his girlfriend, 24-year-old Tessa Gadd, on March 3, according to court documents. That's when Gadd's young son, Lorenzo Ealom, Jr., consumed Suboxone, which is a medication prescribed to heroin addicts to help with their addiction.

They did not take the boy for treatment. Instead, Lorenzo was dropped off at day care and was later taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The toddler had a high dosage of cough medicine and Benadryl in his system, along with indications of prior cocaine ingestion.

Gadd and Hines were charged with involuntary manslaughter. The case was bound over to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.