Investigators in Pennsylvania arrested the parents of an 8-year-old child after the toddler overdosed on cocaine and fentanyl in a home where they found “literally hundreds” of used drug baggies that the victim could easily access.
Authorities said that they arrested Holly Back, 40, and Mousa Hawa, 41, and charged them with third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and other offenses in connection with Hunter Hawa’s death.
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“Parents have a sacred responsibility to care for their children,” Chester County District Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe stated in a press release announcing the arrests. “Day after day, these defendants put easy access to drugs over their child’s health and safety, keeping lethal fentanyl within arm’s reach. It is inexcusable.” And it’s murder.”
According to a news release from the DA’s office, at about 2:33 a.m. on July 26, 2023, officers from the City of Coatesville Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting a kid in cardiac arrest at a residence in the 500 block of East Lincoln Highway.
When the first responders arrived on the site, they made contact with Back, who led them into the home. Inside, officers discovered Mousa Hawa conducting CPR on the boy, who had “ashen skin and cyanosis,” which meant his face and lips were blue in color. Authorities also allegedly discovered clear evidence of drug use.
“When officers took over the CPR, they noticed several crystalline baggies scattered throughout the living room and other medication bottles in a bag on the floor,” according to the release.
Following the discovery of the paraphernalia, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Mousa Hawa lost his mind, yelling at paramedics to leave his house and expressing “more concern with law enforcement searching his house than going to the hospital” to accompany his dying child.
The ambulance took the man to Chester County Hospital, where they pronounced him dead shortly after arrival.
Authorities at the site reported that the family’s home was “littered” with drugs and drug paraphernalia.
“Investigators located empty heroin bags in three separate locations on the floor of the room where responding officers first saw the victim child,” according to police. “Investigators also found a shoebox that contained hundreds of small glassine bags that each contained blue fentanyl/heroin bags that were either empty or contained residue.”
A check of the parents’ cellphone communications revealed that on July 25, they discussed consuming narcotics.
In an interview with detectives, Mousa Hawa allegedly stated that his son “knew not to touch the illegal drugs” because he and Back referred to the pills as “medicine,” which he was not permitted to touch unless provided directly to him. According to a probable cause document obtained by Philadelphia ABC affiliate WPVI, Mousa Hawa referred to the medications as “daddy’s medicine,” in particular.
“There was a box containing literally hundreds of used heroin baggies,” Barrena-Sarobe told the broadcaster. “What’s worse? With all the drug use signs around, they completely denied being drug users on the scene, which doesn’t help medical responders treat a child.”
According to the victim’s toxicology analysis, the boy had cocaine and fentanyl in his system at the time of his death. The victim’s hair sample tests also indicated his exposure to these narcotics prior to his overdose death.
Since Hunter’s death, the couple has launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for the victim’s funeral expenses. The fundraising page, which has garnered $895 as of Wednesday, merely claims that Hunter “died suddenly.”
The current bond for Back is $1 million. For drug offenses, Mousa Hawa was already in jail. The exact date of their court appearance was not immediately clear.
