BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ – The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and Medford Township Police Department have announced charges against 32-year-old Vanessa Hampton for the overdose death of her 10-month-old son. Hampton, from the Frankford section of Philadelphia, is charged with second-degree manslaughter and third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance.
The tragic incident came to light in November 2022 when Medford Township Police responded to a report of an unresponsive infant at a local residence. The child was initially taken to Virtua Hospital in Voorhees, then transferred to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he ultimately did not regain consciousness and was declared deceased about a week later.
Following an autopsy by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office, the infant’s death was ruled a homicide. The cause of death was determined to be drug intoxication from exposure to Xylazine, a substance commonly used in veterinary medicine as a sedative and muscle relaxant, but not approved for human use in the United States.
Authorities allege that Hampton was responsible for exposing her son to the drug, leading to his ingestion and fatal overdose. She was taken into custody last week in Philadelphia and is currently awaiting extradition to New Jersey.