Bronx woman accused of giving 6-year-old son lethal dose of methadone and Nyquil

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Carlos Rios Jr., 6

(Credit: CBS New York)

(CBS) NEW YORK - A Bronx mother is accused of giving her son a deadly dose of drugs, and is now in police custody.

CBS New York reports the family of 6-year-old Carlos Rios Jr. said his drug-addicted mother gave him a mix of her methadone and Nyquil, that ultimately killed him.

The boy's maternal grandmother, Letty Muentes, was part of the group that made the decision to take the boy off of life support after he fell into a coma.

"As soon as he got sick, he was dizzy, he got in a coma and he died," Muentes said.

The boy's family said they are angry at The Administration for Child Services (ACS), claiming the organization didn't do enough after they went to the agency twice for help.

In a statement, the agency said it "received the report of the terribly sad death of the 6-year-old boy in the Bronx, and along with the NYPD, our staff is investigating what led to this tragedy."

The boy's father, Carlos Rios, was still in shock after taking his only child off life support.

"He was a good boy. He liked to paint. He was a good artist, fun kid. It's a tragedy to have me go through this," Rios said.

The mother, Raquel DeLeon, is being held by police. Sources said that, pending the autopsy results, she is being charged with criminally negligent homicide for her son's death.

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by julieayala17 February 2, 2012 2:59 PM EST: carlos jr aka puto is my baby cousin. we are so heart broken and destroyed about his lost. his father is the most loving and caring man i know. he did anything for his son and was not on drugs unlike puto's mother. my cousin took care of him every second of everyday and to go from being a daddy to no longer having your lil boy yelling daddy and running into your arms with the biggest brightest smile on his face like puto did everyday, is unbelievable.. my cousin still is in shock n i hope his mother gets what she deserves for not ever being the mother she should have been. she treated her daughters (now in there 20's) better then she ever treated my baby cousin. my cousin gave him the dayquilt because he had the flu n though it would take the sneezing away. puto's mother know my cousin was giving the dayquilt to him n failed to mention a world n she stood quite while my baby cousin was laying in the hospital in a coma. all my prayers go out to my cousin because no one deserves to have to lose a child..; Reply to this comment


by angelofurnightmare February 2, 2012 11:22 AM EST: The mother is at fault for having methadone anywhere that a child can get it...no matter how the boy got it there was neglect. Being stupid is no defense and the Children's Service groups are a joke. When calling about my nephews being neglected by addict parents I was told until one is hurt or killed there is nothing to be done. So 4 children went hungry and scared because momma and daddy sold the food stamps they got for pills...and we could do nothing...even after they both failed drug tests...still those kids live in that crap...still we have to worry and hope they are safe and we do our best to see to it they are fed and clean but when those junkies shut you out there isn't much left to be done. That child should have and could have been saved but he wasn't and those who love him will have to pay for it...and that beautiful child will never have the chance to grow up and be different from his junkie ***** mother; Reply to this comment

by Tazike February 2, 2012 2:56 AM EST

This article doesn't tell the whole story and it would be great if people knew the whole story before they start accusing someone of murder and child abuse. This was not a case of abuse or murder. It was a horrible accident caused by extreme stupidity and recklessness on part of the mother.
The mother did not give the boy methadone. The father gave it to the boy thinking it was Nyquil as the methadone was in a Nyquil bottle. Nobody intended for the boy to get methadone (he did not get Nyquil, it was just in a Nyquil bottle) It was extremely stupid and thoughtless of the mother to store her methadone in a Nyquil bottle. It should have been stored in the bottle it came in and kept in a lockbox. I'm sure the mother would be the first to agree that it was beyond stupid. But it's not the same as child abuse or murder.
The fact that the mother was taking methadone doesn't make her an unfit mother either. People on methadone for addiction are in recovery and function just like anyone else. Most parents on methadone are good, responsible parents. This mother could of course be a horrible mother but that would have nothing to do with her status as a methadone patient.

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by ahendryx819 February 2, 2012 10:27 AM EST: Don't sit there and defend her. Even if that WERE the case, nobody should have been giving him NyQuil in the first place; that's only for kids as young as 12. The reason "parents" do this to their kids is to knock them out so they can go shoot up or whatever form it is they do. And yes, she did something to cause her child's death. Soooo she IS a bad mother by definition. At the very least, it WAS abuse, but I still believe she should be facing homicide charges. I don't care if you're her family or not; I'm just telling it how it is.


by angelofurnightmare February 2, 2012 11:16 AM EST: NYQUIL IS LETHAL TO CHILDREN U IDIOT!!! ITS STATES ON THE BOTTLE NOT USE ON CHILDREN!!!! AND STUPIDITY IS NOT A FREAKIN DEFENSE!


by casey1981 February 1, 2012 5:12 PM EST: Family and friends of the little one who was lost - I know that you're out there because when I was in your shoes I read all the articles - I wanted to know that others felt the same way I did.

Your loss is a tragedy and I offer my deepest sympathies to you as you deal with this situation that was wholly beyond your control. You did what you could and the system failed you - failed your son/grandson. Know that there are others out there, those who have walked in your shoes, and stand where you are standing. When you're ready to talk, they will listen.; Reply to this comment


by CPetalSoft February 1, 2012 1:39 PM EST: This is another occasion where I find what I've read so difficult to believe that I'm truly reading what I'm seeing! Child abuse/neglect/death of an innocent child. And something I know too well about from personal experience: child protective services WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE OR SUFFER ANY CONSEQUENCES BECAUSE THEY ARE AN ENTITY ALL TO THEMSELVES AND THIS WILL NEVER CHANGE!!!!!! They will have catch phrases such as 'they went by the book' or 'we try our best to keep families together' or 'we are so overworked due to work load' but they couldn't care any less that they did not do their job. True, the mother was a junkie. Child protective services failed AGAIN!!!!!; Reply to this comment

by ennyJay February 1, 2012 1:08 PM EST

Look how cute he is in this picture. I would have taken him.

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by ahendryx819 February 1, 2012 3:56 PM EST: knewster: If anyone shouldn't have bred, it was YOUR parents.


by ahendryx819 February 1, 2012 4:13 PM EST: knewster, if anyone shouldn't have bred, it was YOUR parents.

by haeddre February 1, 2012 1:06 PM EST

This is so very sad to hear. I hope the mother gets her justice. I don't know why the father said "It's a tragedy to have me go through this,"... a tragedy to have you go through it, how about a tragedy you as the father did not remove the child from her mother. The rest of the family didn't have near the rights to the boy as you did. You could have done something more. I am sure this isn't the first time she did something to the boy. She probably did it to make him go to sleep so I am sure it's not the first time. I hope her pain is on that is constant and brutal and leaves her with internal scars. Mothers in prison who can't see their kids will take care of her...

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by casey1981 February 1, 2012 5:06 PM EST: Could have done something more? Unfortunately in the messed up world that we live in mothers like this get custody everyday - and for the father or grandparents to try and take the child only gets them charged with kidnapping.

That is why families turn to ACS - they do everything that they are told to by law enforcement and their lawyers but they have to rely on the system.

You have no idea the pain of this family - they did all they legally could and look where it got them. My deepest sympathies and condolences to them as they deal with this tragedy.


by oldabner February 1, 2012 7:08 PM EST: @casey1981

To get my child away from a dangerous mother, I would risk a kidnapping charge - I've already been to jail, it doesn't scare me.

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by jt92202 February 1, 2012 12:49 PM EST: I really think people should stop blaming the family! If any of you have ever had to deal with a paretn that was abusing their child you would know the parent has the control until the state decides to remove the child! There is nothing SHORT of taking the child from the parent to keep that parent from harming that child. If a grandparent or aunt.... was to take that child they would be up on charges themselves and the state would just give the child back to the parent! If anyone should have done something it was the father but even then it depends if that father was part of the family or only had visitation rights to see his son!

The MOTHER was at fault plain and simple, ACS will be investigated to make sure they did not sweep the complaints under the rug! I hope the mother gets help with her addiction and lives a very long life in PRISON!; Reply to this comment

by starzeyes February 1, 2012 12:09 PM EST

What led to this tragedy? What let to it was the crappy mom choosing dope to birth control in the first place! And secondly, the family who chose to wait for a government agency to take action instead of doing something about it themselves! Come on, it was their daughter in the first place. They have no right to be upset with ACS and they should take responsibility for their own lack of intervention on behalf of this child!

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by Lerianis4 February 1, 2012 12:21 PM EST: Lack of intervention? Let me tell you something, idiot supreme, if they had tried to intervene instead of ACS, they would have been charged with kidnapping and other crimes, to be blunt.

That is what ACS is there for, so the families can report to them and don't have to intervene and leave themselves open to some overzealous prosecutors hypocritical vendetta that might possibly exist.


by ahendryx819 February 1, 2012 4:09 PM EST: They did what they COULD BY LAW! Did you not read the entire article??? They did their part; the state is the reason this cute baby was failed, not the rest of his family. What could they have done short of kidnapping him?

It's really easy for people who are completely ignorant of how these stupid government agencies "work" to place judgement on the people who try to use them to get help.


by chenz66 February 1, 2012 12:08 PM EST: "The boy's family said they are angry at The Administration for Child Services (ACS), claiming the organization didn't do enough after they went to the agency twice for help" Hellllooooo! The only one to blame here is the drug addict mother. YOU as a family should have done more to protect the child from her!; Reply to this comment