NMSP News:

ESPAÑOLA — April 1, 2025, New Mexico State Police (NMSP) officers were dispatched to Presbyterian Hospital in Española for an unresponsive 15-month-old child.

Upon arrival, officers learned the child was exposed to Fentanyl. NMSP Investigations Bureau assumed the investigation, where they learned that the mother of the child, Ariana Vigil, 26, claimed that the child was exposed to Fentanyl paraphernalia in the form of burnt foil.

Agents learned Vigil placed the child on the floor, where the exposure occurred, while she cleaned off the bed. Vigil told agents she then rinsed the child’s mouth, believing the child had placed the drug paraphernalia in their mouth. Vigil further stated she observed the child for 10 minutes before the child became unresponsive. The child was taken to the hospital and was later pronounced deceased.

During the investigation, Vigil admitted to agents that she smokes Fentanyl and left the burnt foils on the bedroom floor. Agents obtained a search warrant for the residence where burnt foils consistent with Fentanyl use, and narcotics were located.

Vigil was arrested and booked into the Rio Arriba County Detention Center, charged with one count of Child Abuse Resulting in Death and one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance.