Seven children were hospitalized Wednesday after taking what police officials believe was prescription sleeping medication, given to them by an older child while they were left unattended.
Police said they were called to the Hopewell, Virginia, house at approximately 5:30 p.m. and found four children between the ages of 1 and 4 who were breathing but unresponsive. Three others were found awake but lethargic. At least three of the children have been moved to a different hospital for more extensive repair, but all are expected to survive.
“They are expected to recover, but because they don’t know exactly how much of the prescription medication they ingested, they are having a harder time processing and metabolizing [the drug],” Lt. Cheyenne Casale of the Hopewell Police Department told news station WRIC.
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The children were only left unattended for a short period of time when the adult supervisor stepped out to get something from a nearby store, Casale said. Authorities said the woman called 9-1-1 as soon as she got home and saw the state of the children.
No criminal charges have been filed, but a thorough investigation is underway, officials told local news station WTVR.
“Find out who are we going to hold accountable and get these kids in a safe environment, that’s our No. 1 goal,” Casale said.
The pill bottle was not labeled, but after discussions with one of the children and with doctors, investigators determined the drug was a sleeping aid. It is not clear who the drugs were for.
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A search warrant has been filed for the house and police have removed the prescription drugs they believed were responsible.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Hopewell Police Department but did not hear back at the time of publishing.
