By making a phone call to a family friend Thursday, a 5-year-old girl likely saved the lives of her mother and another resident who were both unresponsive on the kitchen floor due to reported drug overdoses.
At around 11:25 a.m. Thursday, the girl told the family friend that she could not wake her mother up at their home, located at 802 Maple St. in Washington Court House. The friend immediately called 911 to provide the information to authorities.
When Washington Police Department officers responded to the residence, the 5-year-old girl answered the door and said, “Mommy and Kenny won’t wake up,” according to reports. Officers found the two adults lying on the kitchen floor and still unresponsive.
The two were identified as Ashley N. Miller, 31, and Kenneth L. Groves III, 39. Fayette County EMS members administered more than five doses of Narcan each on both Miller and Groves before they regained consciousness. Narcan (naloxone) is a prescription medication that blocks the effects of opioids and reverses an overdose.
“It took an excessive amount of time to revive them,” said officer John Warnecke. “It was definitely one of the longer ones I’ve been at.”
While EMS members were providing first aid to Miller and Groves, the girl told Warnecke that besides the two adults, she was the only one in the house but that she needed to get on the school bus soon, reports said. She said that as soon as she found “Kenny” and “mommy” on the kitchen floor, she immediately used the phone to call for help.
Three other children also live at the home, but they were at school at the time.
Miller and Groves were transported to Fayette County Memorial Hospital for further treatment. Groves reportedly told police that he and Miller had “snorted” the narcotic. No drug residue or drug paraphernalia was found inside the home.
Both were charged with inducing panic and endangering children. They were issued a summons with a court date of Wednesday, April 12.
Fayette County Children Services responded to the residence to assist the juvenile and were in the process of making custody decisions for the 5-year-old and the other children, according to police.
