Parents charged in 1-year-old’s overdose death in Ramsey County

The parents of a 1-year-old who died from a drug overdose in September have now been criminally charged.

Andrea Niccole Intveld, 31, from Little Canada, is charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter while the child’s father, 28-year-old Joseph Tanner Elajah Compton, from Elk River, is charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

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Ramsey County deputies were called to a home in the 200 block of County Road B2 East at around 3:13 a.m. on Sept. 4 on a report of a 1-year-old boy not breathing. Deputies rendered aid to the child until he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The medical examiner later determined his cause of death was combined drug toxicity, including heroin and fentanyl.

Intveld told authorities that Compton was watching their son and, when she returned to the apartment, she found the child blue and unresponsive on the floor. However, she later admitted to waking up in the bathtub and seeing Compton running around in a panic, looking for Narcan. Court documents state she and Compton gave the child multiple doses of Narcan in an attempt to help the child. Compton had left the scene before deputies arrived.

Inside the apartment, deputies saw several capped and uncapped needles and a spoon with burn marks in the bathroom. A criminal complaint states Intveld and Compton have both significant history with the sheriff’s office.

After initially denying using drugs that day, Intveld admitted to using drugs around five days earlier and told investigators that Compton was using, although she didn’t see him do any “drug stuff” that day.

On Sept. 8, while looking for Compton near Intveld’s apartment, a deputy heard a conversation between the boy’s parents where Intveld said, “I know that you’re still using and that you killed your son with your own drugs.” She went on to state, “He was awake for a very long time while you were passed out … with drugs sitting out,” according to the complaint.

Deputies found Compton later that day in Maple Grove and arrested him. In an interview with investigators, the complaint states Compton admitted he and Intveld used heroin the day their son died. He added that he knew the heroin was likely laced with fentanyl.

He added that he was playing with the boy on the living room floor and put the drugs in a spot where he was still able to reach them. While Intveld was passed out in the bathtub, he fell asleep on the floor. He later woke up and found the boy not breathing and noticed the opened container of his heroin about four feet away. After waking up Intveld and giving the child Narcan, he fled because of an outstanding warrant for domestic assault.

They each made their first court appearances on Tuesday and have next hearings set for Dec. 22.

If convicted, manslaughter carries up to 10 years in prison while third-degree murder can be penalized with up to 25 years in prison.