BENSALEM, PA — The Bensalem Police Department arrested 25-year-old Daniel Scott Howarth on March 23, 2022, in connection with the death of a 4-month-old baby.
Authorities state that on Friday, January 7, 2022, at 12:36 pm, Bensalem Police were dispatched to the report of an infant in cardiac arrest on Oak Avenue in Trevose. The 4-month-old was found unresponsive in the living room of the home where police and EMS attempted life-saving measures. The infant was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital in Langhorne where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy of the infant revealed the presence of fentanyl in the child’s blood and the cause of death was determined to be “Adverse Effects of Fentanyl”.
An investigation by Bensalem Police and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office revealed that the infant’s parents, Felicity Westmoreland and Daniel Howarth, were in the home when the child died. The home was in disarray with clothes, trash and old food scattered throughout. Police also discovered numerous drug baggies, syringes and a tourniquet commonly used for drug injection. Those items tested positive for the presence of fentanyl and cocaine.
Donna Westmoreland, the baby’s grandmother, was previously appointed as the baby’s foster mother. The Bucks County Juvenile Dependency Court issued a Shelter Care Order prohibiting Donna Westmoreland from leaving the infant unsupervised with Felicity Westmoreland and Daniel Howarth. Donna Westmoreland admitted to Bensalem Detectives that she left the infant unsupervised with his parents on the day of the infant’s death, January 7, 2022, in violation of that order.
Felicity Westmoreland and Daniel Howarth were charged with involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Felicity Westmoreland was arraigned by District Justice Joseph Falcone on March 17, 2022, and remanded to Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10% of $10 Million bail.
Donna Westmoreland has been charged with child endangerment. She was arraigned by District Justice Joseph Falcone on March 16, 2022, and sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10% of $150,000 bail.
Daniel Howarth was arraigned by District Justice Falcone on March 23, 2022, and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10% of $10 Million bail.
Information is subject to change at any time. Information, a criminal complaint, or an arrest is not a declaration of guilt. A suspect, arrestee, or defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News.