CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati father has been sentenced to one year in prison in connection with the 2024 death of his 1-year-old son, who ingested fentanyl, as revealed in court documents.
According to a press release from the Cincinnati Police Department, officers responded to a report of an unresponsive child in the 2700 block of West North Bend Road on Feb. 12, 2024.
When police arrived, Sgt. Frank Beavers with CPD's Homicide Unit said they found 1-year-old Kymari Walker unconscious and not breathing. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A coroner's report revealed that the cause of Kymari's death was the ingestion of fentanyl.
Following the incident, CPD launched an investigation, which led to the arrest of Kymani Walker on an involuntary manslaughter warrant.
Court documents detail that Walker told police he got in an argument with Kymari's mother two days before the child's death. He left their home with Kymari and went to stay with his grandparents to allow tensions to settle.
“This tragedy has devastated him; nothing in the world means more to him than his sons," Charles Glass, Walker's step-grandfather, said in court Monday.
WATCH: Father sentenced in 1-year-old son's death
The next day, Kymari's mother picked him up to attend a Super Bowl party, planning to return home afterward while Walker remained at his grandparents'.
After Kymari's mother left, a friend of Walker's asked to borrow his digital scale from the apartment. Walker gave his friend the key to enter the apartment.
Court documents state Walker denied bringing drugs into the apartment, but admitted to police that he was aware his friend was involved in drug dealing.
According to the court document, after returning from the Super Bowl party, Kymari found the scale, which had fentanyl residue on it, and ingested it.
Walker pleaded guilty to reckless homicide and endangering children in March.
He was sentenced to 12 months in prison for each count, to be served concurrently. Walker's request for probation was denied.
"No one really wants him to go to prison, Judge," Walker's attorney, Robert Jones said. "There's no one here, you know, maybe apart from the state of Ohio, banging their drums saying Mr. Walker deserves prison for what happened."
A Broader Look at Protecting Children's Access to Drugs
The Hamilton County Coroner, at the time, said that while other children in the county have died from exposure to fentanyl, authorities believe this was the first child to die in the county from exposure to the combination of fentanyl and xylazine.
"Kids don't know, I mean, even if you have the best intentions, their whole life is an accident," Nicole Schiesler, president of Prevention First, told WCPO. "They're falling down unintentionally or they're getting into things they're not supposed to."
Schiesler's organization has been working since 1996 to reduce substance misuse in the community. She tells me that no matter the substance, illicit or otherwise, there are safe ways to dispose of drugs, and it's important for parents to ensure boundaries are in place.
From a youth standpoint, Schisler and her organization's survey of 15,756 students found that the number one substance used by children is vaping, followed by marijuana and alcohol.
The most common place where youth report using or coming into contact with drugs was in the home, followed by a friend's home, Schisler told WCPO.
But there are safeguards parents should take into account, like a deterra bag or pouch. This, according to Schisler, provides a safe and convenient way to dispose of unused, expired or unwanted medications at home.
“What is the expectation in the home?" asked Schiesler. "What are the boundaries? What will not be accepted for use, or this will not take place in our home? All of those types of things.”
