FOUNTAIN — Acelynn Staton-Contreras's family remembers her as "happy" and "sassy". According to her grandmother, the little girl had a "huge life ahead of her", but that is a life she will never get to see.
Acelynn's autopsy report confirms she died of fentanyl intoxication on July 13, after police believe she got into a container of pills in the bathroom while her mom was asleep.
"This is an unfortunate loss, not only for our family but for the community as well. She was a little girl. She didn't ask for this," said Amanda Beaman, the little girl's grandmother.
Her extended family says Acelynn's mother struggled on and off with addiction, but they did not know she was using drugs again at the time of Acelynn's death.
"A lot of people struggle with addiction. And a lot of people who struggle with addiction closet that because they feel as if in the community, they are being judged," said Acelynn's great aunt, Joley Ortiz.
In 2021, El Paso County had five children die due to overdoses. Earlier in 2022, a Colorado Springs child died at 15-months-old after exposure to fentanyl.
"Our kids are our future, and our life and our worlds, and we need to keep better eyes on them and make sure whatever our side habits are kept away from them, and made sure that they're safe in all aspects of life," said Beaman.
The family continues offering Acelynn's mother words of support as she awaits her next court date in September. She is being held on a $500,000 bond and faces multiple charges, including child abuse resulting in death.
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