Mt. Oliver woman charged with involuntary manslaughter in 1-year-old girl's overdose death

A Mt. Oliver woman was charged with involuntary manslaughter after police said a 1-year-old girl in her care died from a methadone overdose.

Sixty-year-old Veronica Anglin is facing multiple other charges, including endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person, in connection with the death of 17-month-old Ro'Mya Shields, Allegheny County police announced on Wednesday.

County police said Mt. Oliver officers were called to a home on Church Avenue on Nov. 8, 2024, for reports of a 1-year-old girl who wasn't breathing. Shields was pronounced dead at the hospital, and the Office of the Allegheny County Medical Examiner ruled her death an accident due to methadone intoxication.

Police said they determined through witness interviews that Anglin was responsible for caring for Shields at the time she was found unresponsive. Detectives said they also learned that Anglin had a methadone prescription, and bottles of methadone were in the home.

According to the criminal complaint, during an interview, Anglin said that she has a "tendency" to walk away from her prescription lockbox because she lives in a busy and distracting household. 

"Anglin stated that on the day in which this incident occurred, there is a chance that she removed a dosage of her Methadone prescription from the lockbox, then became preoccupied and forgot about it," police wrote in the criminal complaint.

Police also said that Anglin told them that she was the only one in the home with a methadone prescription. 

County police said charges were filed against Anglin after consulting with the district attorney's office. Anglin was arrested on Wednesday and taken to the Allegheny County Jail.