Minneapolis dad charged with manslaughter after son, 7, died of fentanyl overdose in his home

A father was charged Monday with second-degree manslaughter in the fentanyl overdose of his 7-year-old son this summer at his home in Minneapolis.

Nelson Randolph III, 44, was charged in Hennepin County District Court in the death of Amonre Nelson Randolph on Aug. 17 at the residence in the 1800 block of N. 44th Avenue.

A warrant was issued for Randolph's arrest. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

Court records in Minnesota show that Randolph's criminal history includes two convictions for illicit drug possession, two for assault, one for illegal weapons possession and one for domestic assault.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police were called to Randolph's home about 7 a.m. about a child who was unresponsive. Officers and emergency medical personnel determined the boy was dead.

Randolph said Amonre and his younger sister were dropped off by a family member the previous day and the boy "looked and acted normal."

The father said he found his son in a bedroom about 6:50 the next morning. The boy's body was was stiff, and a white substance was around his mouth.

An autopsy by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Amonre had died from acute fentanyl toxicity.

In a search of Randolph's home Sept. 29, police found in the bathroom baggies commonly used to store illegal drugs and various tablets. Officers also detected a strong odor of bleach in the bathroom and seized guns and ammunition.

A white pill later tested positive for fentanyl and methamphetamine. A green pill tested positive for fentanyl.

"Because of the shapes and colors of the pills," the complaint noted, "their appearance was similar to chewable children's vitamins."

Questioned a few days after the search, Randolph admitted to using drugs but said he never left them "out at his home [and] doesn't use fentanyl at all," the complaint said.