Miami boy’s death shows powerful opioid’s chilling potential

MIAMI – Authorities believe a 10-year-old Miami boy died of a fentanyl overdose after visiting a local pool last month, becoming one of Florida’s littlest victims of the opioid crisis.

But it’s unclear how fifth-grader Alton Banks came in contact with the drug. Exposure to just tiny amounts can be devastating.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon that investigators don’t believe Alton got the dangerous opioid at his home. She says the boy could have simply touched the substance, explaining that it could have been on a towel at the pool.

Investigators said Alton may been exposed to the drug on his walk home in the poor, high-crime neighbourhood where Assistant Miami Fire Chief Pete Gomez said he has seen a spike in overdoses in the past year and where needles sometimes litter the streets.