48-Year-Old Fort Lee Woman Was Additionally Charged Yesterday With Manslaughter In Drug Death Of Child
Saturday, June 1, 2024, 7:00 A.M. ET. By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
FORT LEE, NJ.- A 48-year-old Fort Lee, New Jersey woman who remains jailed on child endangerment and narcotics offenses following last Saturday’s fatal overdose of a 12-year-old girl was additionally charged yesterday with aggravated manslaughter.
According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, on Saturday, May 25, 2024, members of the Fort Lee Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting an unresponsive 12-year-old girl at a home on Maple Street in Fort Lee.
Upon arrival, Police Officers found the child unresponsive from an apparent drug overdose. The child was immediately transported to Hackensack University Medical Center, where despite life-saving efforts the child succumbed to an overdose and was pronounced deceased.
During an ensuing joint investigation by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Fort Lee Police Department, it was determined that Frances Caso, 48, and three other juveniles were also present in the home at the time of the overdose. A subsequent search of the home uncovered multiple suspected controlled dangerous substances and paraphernalia consistent with narcotics use.
Accordingly, on Sunday, May 26, 2024, Ms. Caso was arrested at the Maple Street home and formally charged with second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child; three counts of third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child; two counts of third-degree Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance; and fourth-degree Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Caso was processed on the charges and was remanded to the Bergen County Jail, where she has remained. On Friday, May 31, 2024, Caso was additionally charged with one count of first-degree Aggravated Manslaughter, she was served with the warrant complaint at the jail. Caso will be held pending a pretrial detention hearing that will be held in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, New Jersey.
