Mansfield dispatchers received a frantic 911 call this week from a 10-year-old girl who found her mother passed out from an overdose on her bedroom floor.
The girl called 911 at 3:19 p.m. Wednesday.
"I don't really know what happened but my mom's forehead is bleeding and I saw a needle on the dresser so I don't know what happened," she said.
The 10-year-old said her 9-year-old brother was at home too. A neighbor said they had just returned home from school.
"You're doing really good right now," the dispatcher said.
The girl also said her mom had a warrant out for her arrest.
As the girl waited for paramedics to arrive, there was fear in her voice.
"She's laying on the bedroom floor moaning and I'm really scared!"
The fire department responded and administered several doses naloxone to revive the mother — later identified 37-year-old Jeannie McKinniss. She was taken to a local hospital.
A short time later, police learned that McKinniss had fled from the hospital. She was picked up by officers about five blocks away.
McKinniss was taken to the Richland County Jail on outstanding warrants. She was also charged with endangering children.
The children were placed in the custody of their father when he returned home from work. Richland County Children Services was also contacted.
Richland County Children Services Executive Director Patty Harrelson sent this statement to newsnet5.com regarding the case:
Unfortunately, these incidents are no longer out of our ordinary occurrences. Our children, our families, our professionals and our entire community are left struggling with these issues. There is no one simple answer. Child abuse and neglect, drug addiction and other related issues are complex social and economic challenges with no easy answers. The fact drugs impact all of society is not news to anyone. We have dealt with this growing epidemic for years. We have seen an increasing number of children in care and kids in Kinship care. We are glad the youth in question knew enough to reach out, use 911 and save a life today. This is testament to the system of 911 and we are grateful to our local first responders for their work.
