Twin Cities mom agrees to 4-year sentence for fentanyl overdose death of girl, 1

A St. Paul woman has admitted that she is responible for the fentanyl overdose death of her 1-year-old daughter.

Tessa Jean Vorlicky, 21, agreed Thursday in Ramsey County District Court to plead guilty to second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death in December 2023 of Mi’Vida Vorlicky.

The plea agreement between the defense and the prosecution calls for Vorlicky to received a four-year term when she is sentenced on March 31. She is expected to serve one-third of that time on supervised release.

Mi’Vida’s father, 27-year-old Derrick Harrison, was charged with child endangerment stemming from his role in the girl’s death. Harrison failed to show up for a hearing last week, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

According to the charges:

Police were called to the 300 block of Toronto Street in the West 7th neighborhood on Dec. 1, 2023. The 911 caller said Vorlicky and Harrison’s 1-year-old girl was gasping for air. A dispatcher heard Vorlicky scream, “Did you give her Narcan?”

Mi’Vida was transported to a hospital and given Narcan, used to treat opioid overdoses, but her condition worsened. Doctors declared Mi’Vida brain dead four days later. An autopsy by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled her cause of death as acute fentanyl toxicity.

Vorlicky’s mother, who lives downstairs, told police that her daughter and Mi’Vida lived in an upstairs bedroom with Harrison. Inside the home officers found dog feces on the floor, a glass pipe, Narcan, a bag with 0.23 grams of meth, more than 70 pieces of crumpled tinfoil with residue, a blue fentanyl pill, a computer tablet with fentanyl residue, 13 cut straws and six plastic baggies.

Harrison disclosed to investigators that he and Vorlicky separated more than a year ago. He claimed to check on their daughter three to four times a week because Vorlicky often invited people over.

Harrison said he took an Uber to the house that day and noticed Mi’Vida’s struggled to breath within 15 minutes. He ran downstairs yelling for help from Vorlicky’s mother as they performed CPR on the child. He denied using the same drugs as Vorlicky.

Harrison said he “accepted responsibility for not being there for [Mi’Vida] and getting her into a better situation,” the charges said. He confirmed that Mi’Vida suffered withdrawals at birth.

Vorlicky told officers while in jail that her drugs of choice are methamphetamine and fentanyl, and claimed to have smoked the last of her fentanyl on the morning of Dec. 1. She also claimed to have ingested a Percocet and smoked meth that morning. Vorlicky said her baby was healthy and cooing “mama” before Vorlicky fell asleep near her around noon, then awoke to Harrison screaming for help.

Kyeland Jackson of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.