GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Tyana Putzlocker was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison after her 18-month-old son died after ingesting fentanyl while she and the child’s father were napping.
Putzlocker and Derrick Young were charged with neglecting a child-consequence is death for the May 2022 incident. Young has a status conference Dec. 4. No trial date has been set.
Putzlocker, 23, was also placed on extended supervision for five years. Another six months was added on after that for an unrelated traffic crash.
The prosecutor and defense made a joint recommendation for a total of 10 years in the prison system, with four years in prison.
Before the sentence was issued, Putzlocker said she will never be able to forgive herself for exposing both of her children to drugs.
“I know that there are no words that I can say that will bring baby D back, but I want to let you all know that I have learned from this whole experience. Being away from my son and my family has shown me how I was blinded by an addiction, and that was taking over every aspect of my life. My addiction stopped me from doing what I love most: which is being a mother to my two children. Instead of reaching out and utilizing the help that was offered to me, I turned to drugs and that led to the death of my son, which is the biggest punishment of all,” she said.
But Judge Tammy Jo Hock said the recommendation was insufficient, so she more than doubled the time in prison from the suggested four years to ten.
“The facts are horrifyingly tragic. It’s littered with betrayal, and deceit. And it just is something that is absolutely astonishing, because every measure that was put in place to protect your son, you violated. Willingly, deliberately, and intentionally. And that cannot be understated,” Judge Hock said. “You were to protect your son.”
Judge Hock criticized Putzlocker for violating the orders put in place after her children were removed from her home, knowing of the dangers involved, and presence of drugs in the home.
As the 15-year-total sentence was issued, at least two people were removed from the courtroom for their reaction. Putzlocker started sobbing, and later dropped her head in to her hands, crying.
The criminal complaint says the 18-month-old child, Derrick, was removed from the couple’s custody, and placed with Young’s mother. She dropped the child off with Young and Putzlocker and then left, apparently in violation of the placement terms.
Police responded to an apartment on S. Taylor Street in Green Bay on May 3, 2022, where the child was unresponsive, and later died. According to the autopsy, the “presence of illicit fentanyl in the decedent’s system is a contributing factor to the cause of death.”
Young told police the child appeared sick, and all three laid down to take a nap together. He woke to find the boy wasn’t breathing. CPR was started, and 911 was called.
After her arrest, Putzlocker said she had no knowledge of how either she or Young could exposed the child to fentanyl, and denied selling drugs containing fentanyl.
“She maintained a theory that her son could have unknowingly found a dangerous drug while he was with her doing laundry in the basement that day,” the complaint quotes her as saying.
In court Monday, however, Putzlocker and her attorneys admitted she was also using drugs. Putzlocker said she has been getting treatment, and knows she will need to continue to get counseling after her release.
Young’s story was different, however.
“Derrick admitted to using and being addicted to fentanyl and also admitted to selling fentanyl. Derrick was using and selling fentanyl at the time of his son’s death. Derrick and Tyana typically smoked fentanyl in the apartment basement but would sometimes smoke in the apartment bathroom. Derrick said he kept fentanyl pills in the apartment closet and if his son got exposed to fentanyl, there was no other explanation other than it being his pills,” the complaint states. “Derrick also admitted that at the time of VICTIM 1’s death, he was thinking that VICTIM 1 might have gotten one of his fentanyl pills.”
The investigation determined Young was dealing drugs.
“Based on my training and experience, reviewing communications between Young and Putzlocker, showed communications consistent with Young being actively involved in the distribution of controlled substances, including but not limited to narcotics such as black market Percocet pills that are known to contain fentanyl, and Putzlocker was both fully aware and at times, participated in that activity. This included discussion of such pills even on the date of VICTIM 1’s death,” the complaint says.
The dead child had been removed from Putzlocker’s direct care due to concern for neglect and being drug-endangered, according to the complaint.
