A baby has tragically died after her mother allegedly gave her a dummy laced with fentanyl, leading to a fatal overdose. The parents of the 10-month-old are also separately accused of running a dogfighting ring.

The Charleston County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that Sara Constance Shakeri-Taylor, 39, is facing charges including homicide by child abuse, conspiracy, animal fighting or baiting and ill treatment of animals. The horrifying incident occurred in May, when the sheriff's office received a call about an unresponsive baby in Ladson, a location in three South Carolina counties approximately 20 miles northwest of Charleston, US.

Deputies hurried to the property on Hardwood Street, where the child's father, Sandy Gathers, 41, had reportedly just returned home from work around 3 pm, May 15, and found his daughter unresponsive, "lying on her stomach" at the end of the bed while Shakeri-Taylor slept.

He informed the authorities that Shakeri-Taylor was chiefly responsible for the child's care. Despite valiant efforts by deputies to perform lifesaving measures on the girl, and subsequent attempts by firefighters and paramedics upon their arrival, they were unable to save the infant, who has not been named.

The Mirror US reports that she was declared deceased shortly after at the hospital. The initial post-mortem examination left the coroner puzzled, failing to reveal "obvious injuries" on the baby. Consequently, a routine toxicology test was conducted, revealing the presence of "a large amount" of fentanyl, which the child had consumed.

The young victim had apparently consumed a staggering quantity of the drug, an amount that could only have been taken orally, concluded the officials. A court document shed light on additional evidence discovered at the home, which ultimately contributed to the filing of a murder charge.

"Evidence collected from the incident location at the time of the incident included baby bottles, formula, [a] pacifier, and a dollar bill with a powder substance. These items were sent to the SLED [South Carolina Law Enforcement Division] lab for analysis," the document reveals. "All of these items were positive for the presence of fentanyl. The defendant [redacted] both advised that the bottles and formula were used by [redacted] prior to her death."

Shakeri-Taylor then reportedly confessed to previous use of fentanyl and was aware of the drug's effects, but declined to give a blood sample on the day her daughter passed away, according to the sheriff's office.

Charleston Sheriff Kristin Graziano expressed in a statement, "As a parent, it shakes me to my core to see people be so careless and negligent with their children. This mother made a terrible decision, and she is where she belongs. The people of Charleston County should be advised that my deputies work hard to get people like this off the street."

Dog fighting

The story didn't conclude there, however. At the residence, authorities also discovered signs of animal cruelty, including evidence of dog fighting, it was reported.

Around 15 dogs, mostly pit bulls, were reportedly found at the property, according to a press release from the sheriff's department in early June. "Other items found in the residence and on the property are widely known to be used for dog fighting," the release revealed.

"Due to the nature of the offence and concern for the health of the animals, a search warrant was obtained."

The dogs were discovered "tethered and caged around the premises by heavy-duty metal chains and arranged in a manner consistent with the planned separation of fighting dogs," according to another court document obtained by LawandCrime.

Authorities also uncovered a "wooden slat-mill treadmill and digital weight measuring devices attached to dog collars."

All evidence pointed towards illegal dog fighting activities.Gathers, the father of the baby, was subsequently slapped with multiple charges including four counts of animal fighting or baiting, five counts of ill treatment of animals, nine counts of conspiracy, a count of hindering an officer and 15 counts of being a violent possession in possession of a firearm.

However, he has not been charged in relation to the child's death.