Man charged in fentanyl death of 7-month-old Penn Hills girl

A man from Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood faces charges in connection with the fentanyl-poisoning death of a 7-month-old Penn Hills girl.

Allegheny County Police on Friday charged David Dwayne Poindexter, 58, with involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment. Police said Poindexter, a boyfriend of the baby’s grandmother, was being held in Allegheny County Jail on unrelated charges and was awaiting a preliminary hearing on the new charges.

The child, Zhuri Bogle, died of acute fentanyl toxicity on Jan. 14 in her home, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Penn Hills police and paramedics responded to the 8100 block of Chaske Street around 6:45 a.m. that day after the infant was reported to be unresponsive.

Upon arrival, first responders found Zhuri’s father performing CPR. First responders took over, but at 7:05 a.m., the child was pronounced dead at the scene, county police said.

Police said Zhuri had been in the care of her grandmother, Barbara Dunlap, and Poindexter the prior night. The baby had already been put to bed when her parents arrived home on the evening of Jan. 13, police said.

During Zhuri’s autopsy, a small square packet, which appeared to be a glassine baggie with the word “Machine” printed on the front, was recovered from the baby’s throat, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

The baggie tested positive for fentanyl, the complaint said.

Pointdexter told investigators that on the day he had watched Zhuri with Dunlap, he worked a moving job and earned $250, which he then used to buy 10 stamp bags of heroin that contained fentanyl.

Poindexter admitted he snorted one of the bags before going to the house to meet Dunlap and discarded the bag out the window, police said. The rest of the bags were together in a plastic bag in his pocket. Poindexter said Dunlap also used the heroin, the complaint said.

Poindexter admitted that he snorted one or two bags of the heroin out of his hand while at the house, according to the complaint.

It remains unclear how the baby got one of the stamp bags.

Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the Allegheny County Police tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS (255-8477). Callers can remain anonymous. The department also can be reached via its social media sites.