GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Derrick Young was sentenced Tuesday to 13 years in prison after his 18-month-old son died after ingesting fentanyl while he and the child’s mother were napping.
Young, 25, and Tyana Putzlocker were convicted of neglecting a child, consequence is death, for the May 2022 incident. Putzlocker was previously sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role.
Besides the prison time, Young was placed on extended supervision for ten years by Judge John Zakowski.
Before the sentence was issued, Young apologized for the incident, which he said “truly was an accident.”
“Your honor, I’m going to accept the time that you give me to become a better father, a better person, learn from my mistakes, get my education, become closer to God, and prepare myself for when I am released into the community to be a better person and be successful in the future. I take responsibility for my actions that led up to this. Never would I thought this would happen or wish this on anybody,” Young said.
The criminal complaint says the 18-month-old child, Derrick Young III, was removed from the couple’s custody, and placed with Young’s mother. She dropped the child off with Young and Putzlocker and then left, apparently in violation of the placement terms.
Police responded to an apartment on S. Taylor Street in Green Bay on May 3, 2022, where the child was unresponsive, and later died. According to the autopsy, the “presence of illicit fentanyl in the decedent’s system is a contributing factor to the cause of death.”
Young told police the child appeared sick, and all three laid down to take a nap together. He woke to find the boy wasn’t breathing. CPR was started, and 911 was called.
After her arrest, Putzlocker said she had no knowledge of how either she or Young could expose the child to fentanyl, and denied selling drugs containing fentanyl.
“She maintained a theory that her son could have unknowingly found a dangerous drug while he was with her doing laundry in the basement that day,” the complaint quotes her as saying.
In court at her sentencing, however, Putzlocker and her attorneys admitted she was also using drugs. Putzlocker said she has been getting treatment, and knows she will need to continue to get counseling after her release.
Young’s story was different, however, according to the criminal complaint.
“Derrick admitted to using and being addicted to fentanyl and also admitted to selling fentanyl. Derrick was using and selling fentanyl at the time of his son’s death. Derrick and Tyana typically smoked fentanyl in the apartment basement but would sometimes smoke in the apartment bathroom. Derrick said he kept fentanyl pills in the apartment closet and if his son got exposed to fentanyl, there was no other explanation other than it being his pills,” the complaint states. “Derrick also admitted that at the time of VICTIM 1’s death, he was thinking that VICTIM 1 might have gotten one of his fentanyl pills.”
The investigation determined Young was dealing drugs.
“Based on my training and experience, reviewing communications between Young and Putzlocker, showed communications consistent with Young being actively involved in the distribution of controlled substances, including but not limited to narcotics such as black market Percocet pills that are known to contain fentanyl, and Putzlocker was both fully aware and at times, participated in that activity. This included discussion of such pills even on the date of VICTIM 1’s death,” the complaint says.
The dead child had been removed from Putzlocker’s direct care due to concern for neglect and being drug-endangered, according to the complaint.
