Police in Milwaukee have released shocking footage of a toddler holding the hand of her mother who has passed out from a drugs overdose.
The cell phone video was shot in a family Dollar store and shows the two-year-old girl screaming and tugging at her mother’s limp body.
The video is part of the evidence against the woman, who faces charges of child endangerment.
James Fitzpatrick, local police chief, said: “It's very, very disturbing to see someone obviously in the matter of addiction, where it overtakes someone to the point where they're not able to take care of their child, leaves their child vulnerable.”
She was found with drug paraphernalia - including straws and baggies with drug residue - in her bag.
Officers believe she overdosed on an oral version of heroin or an opiate-based narcotic such as fentanyl. She regained consciousness after receiving two doses of Narcan, an antidote.
Police said the little girl suffered no physical harm and is now in protective custody.
They said they hoped sharing the video would act as a warning of the horrific consequences of drug use, and offer the public a similar view that witnessed everyday by emergency service personnel.
Earlier this month, police in East Liverpool, Ohio, published a photograph of two adults passed out in the front seats of a car with a four-year-old in the back seat. It provided a graphic warning of the risks of taking opiates.
