Janna Church had to bury her son Zeke Breeds. Investigators say the boy lived on County Road 1210 in Willow Springs with his dad, step-mom and step-grandfather. They say Cox and the boy slept in the same bed with new and used Fentanyl patches near the child. “I'm not a doctor by any means but I can't imagine any cases they would use that on a child regardless,” Jamie Church said.
A DRUG NOT MEANT FOR KIDS
Grove Pharmacy Pharmacist Dan Loper showed packages of Fentanyl to KSPR News. Because the patches are Schedule II Narcotic, the pharmacy did not take the patch out of the box or package. “If your body is not tolerant to opiod-narcotics and you apply a fentanyl patch then with respiratory depression someone can develop trouble real quickly,” Loper said. “In a patient, whether a child or adult, you would not use this drug as first line for pain control.” He says the patch should only be used by people who are tolerant of narcotic pain relievers.
Church says she knows just how powerful the patch can be. Her deceased father-in-law used the patch while fighting cancer. “He was a grown man and it put him in kind of a coma state,” Breeds said.
Court documents don't reveal if someone placed the patch on Zeke Breeds but state he was surrounded by patches in the mobile home which lead to a Fentanyl overdose. “He's an angel,” Church said. “His grandpa C.C. Church, his mom and I loved him so much.” Zeke Breeds only got to fish, hunt and play for six short years.
Church says her daughter received a children’s division report that shows a safety plan was put in place not allowing the step mother to be alone with the child. KSPR News requested those records and will bring updates as the information becomes available.
FDA WARNINGS
The FDA issued two warnings in 2005 and 2007 about Fentanyl patches. The administration warned if Fentanyl is incorrectly prescribed or misused it can cause death or life-threatening injuries. The patch is commonly used for cancer patients who developed a tolerance to narcotic pain medication. According to the Mayo Clinic, the sticky adhesive side of the patch should not be touched. If it does come in contact with skin, it will be absorbed much faster by the body.
