St. Louis mother charged after four-year-old daughter dies of heroin overdose

A St. Louis mother was charged with the death of her daughter. The tragic event occurred on Saturday, shortly after 6:20 pm local time when county police found four-year-old Sanaa Riggins unconscious in her father's house.

Officers rushed the girl to St. Louis Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly before 7:30 p.m. According to a local Fox News report, the preliminary investigation revealed that Riggins died of a drug overdose after being exposed to heroin.

The illegal narcotic drug was located near the bed where she was later found, according to local news outlet KSDK.

According to news reports, Riggins' mother, Christina Huntspon, later admitted to investigators she used heroin at the home earlier that day and speculated that her own severe substance addiction was also the likely cause of her daughter's death.

The woman reportedly admitted that no one else would have brought drugs inside, the information portal added.

At the time the incident occurred, the girl was living with her father who had legal custody of her due to Huntspon's purported drug addiction.

The minor's father did not show signs of drug use, according to the Fox 2 Now report. Investigators also told the outlet that Riggins was born under the influence of controlled substances.

Huntspon, 32, was charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death and is currently being held on $500,000 bail, Fox 2 Now said.