Mother to serve 50 years in prison after 2-year-old dies from fentanyl exposure

Written by: A. Smith

Published October 24, 2025 @ 11:03 AM ET

COBB COUNTY, Ga. – A mother and her boyfriend have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms in connection with the fentanyl-related death of her 2-year-old son.

Jocelyn Romero, 22, of Atlanta, was sentenced to 75 years, including 50 to be served in prison, for her role in the child’s death. Romero, who was pregnant at the time, pled guilty to second-degree murder, second-degree cruelty to children, possession of fentanyl, trafficking methamphetamine, trafficking fentanyl, and illegal use of a communication facility.

Her partner, Pablo Garcia, 21, of Smyrna, was sentenced to 60 years, including 30 to be served in prison, after pleading guilty to trafficking methamphetamine, trafficking fentanyl, and illegal use of a communication facility. Investigators said Garcia, although out of state at the time of the toddler’s death, actively participated in drug transactions in the month leading up to the incident.

The toddler was rushed to Northside Hospital in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2023, unresponsive and cold to the touch. He was pronounced dead hours later. Toxicology results revealed 19 nanograms per milliliter of fentanyl in his blood, and authorities ruled the death a homicide.

Romero told investigators she had been playing in bed with her son when he waved his hands in front of his mouth as if he had eaten something spicy. She said she gave him water, and he fell asleep watching a show on her phone. Later in the night, after returning from the restroom, she discovered her son was unresponsive with blue lips. While on the way to the hospital, she stopped a patrol officer at a construction site, where a worker performed chest compressions on the toddler.

Investigators said Romero’s phone contained hundreds of photos, videos, and texts documenting her involvement in drug trafficking. Evidence showed that she possessed thousands of fentanyl pills, multiple kilos of methamphetamine and fentanyl, and dozens of baggies of crystal meth. Many of the drugs were stored in the bedroom and bathroom she shared with her toddler, and authorities said she sometimes brought her son to drug transactions to avoid detection.

“This child’s death was completely preventable. A mother’s first duty is to protect her child, not place them in harm’s way,” Cobb District Attorney Sonya F. Allen said.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Green, who prosecuted the case alongside Jared Horowitz, added, “Romero failed the very human she brought into existence. Rather than love and protect her baby, she chose to repeatedly expose her child to the world’s most dangerous substance for her own financial gain.”