N. Va. parents accused in infant's overdose on heroin

By: | Times-Dispatch
Published: November 04, 2009

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SPRINGFIELD — Police say a Fairfax County couple has been arrested on child abuse charges for allowing their 5-month-old son to overdose on heroin.

Police say 36-year-old Marilyn Fischl and 30-year-old Rafael Preston face felony child abuse and neglect charges. Officials believe in July, the infant picked up a packet of heroin and put it in his mouth as his parents and their two friends consumed heroin in the couple’s Springfield home.

Fischl and Preston were arrested on Thursday. Police say the couple took their son to a hospital July 14 and toxicology reports later found the baby tested positive for heroin. The boy has recovered and is now with other family members.

The couple’s two friends, one of whom served as a baby sitter, also face child abuse and neglect charges.