A man was arrested and charged with child neglect after authorities found his emaciated son in his mobile home during a fire Thursday afternoon, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.
The 14-year-old boy weighed 85 pounds, was wearing dirty clothes and appeared to be dirty all over, a complaint affidavit said.
The child also had red blotches on both legs that were apparently not caused by the fire, officials said.
The BSO said the child was unresponsive to questioning by hospital officials and tested positive for barbiturates, opiates, cocaine and marijuana. He was found with several pills, a cigarette and a red makeup case containing cocaine, the report said. A hospital determined the pills were butalbital with codeine, alprazolam and oxycodone.
Darin Ross MacDannald, 47, was later arrested charged with neglect of child. He told authorities he kept his prescription pills hidden and could not explain how the child got hold of the case or where the cocaine came from.
The boy was taken to Coral Springs Medical Center for his apparent overdose. His condition is not known.
The fire erupted at 260 NE 49th Street in Deerfield Beach but was quickly put out. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
