Toddler Overdoses After Being Returned To Parental Custody, Authorities Say

Daltin Lee Miller, a toddler just 15-months old, has reportedly died of a drug overdose after being returned to his parent’s custody in Marion County, Florida. This tragic sequence of events has led to many questions about parental custody laws in the State of Florida.

Just three weeks prior to his death, Miller had been returned to the custody of his parents. His parents have been arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter.

The charges against 37-year-old Kelli Starling and 48-year-old Daniel Miller, the boy’s parents, were announced by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on May 2nd, 2024.

The Miami Herald reports on this tragic situation,

Daltin Lee Miller came into this world with ”drugs already in his system” and was removed from his parents’ custody for over a year, Lt. Paul Bloom with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a news conference.

On Feb. 9, Daltin was returned to his father’s custody on the condition that his mother “leave the residence due to her use of drugs,” but she came back home a few weeks later, deputies said.

Then Daltin started getting sick, his parents said. They told investigators their son had been congested and wasn’t sleeping well, according to deputies.

Then on March 1, he stopped breathing, and they called 911, according to the Bloom. Daltin was pronounced dead at the home in Ocala.

As forensics officials checked out the home, they found drugs in “easy reach of a curious toddler,” Bloom said.

Miami Herald

This is a more than tragic story. It’s horrifying to think of the situation that this young child was raised in. The most important question that needs to be asked is why did authorities hand this child back to these parents?

Directly because of the decision authorities made to hand over this 15-month year old child to these parents, the child lost his life. May he rest in peace.