Santa Rosa police looking for mother in baby’s fentanyl death

Santa Rosa police are still looking for the mother of a 15-month-old girl believed to have died after ingesting fentanyl nearly three months ago.

An arrest warrant was issued for Madison Bernard on Thursday morning after she failed to appear in Sonoma County Superior Court to face allegations she’s responsible for her daughter’s death.

Murder charges were filed against Bernard and the child’s 26-year-old father, Evan Frostick, who attended Thursday’s hearing and was taken into custody without bail.

By Friday afternoon, Bernard, 23, had not been located.

“Detectives are actively following up on leads related to Madison Bernard’s location. Our hope is she will turn herself in,” Santa Rosa police Sgt. Chris Mahurin said.

He wouldn’t say if investigators spoke to Bernard’s family, but added, “we don’t believe anyone is actively hiding Madison.”

During Thursday’s hearing, Judge Robert LaForge said the court had been contacted by someone who identified herself as Bernard’s mother and said Bernard would attend the hearing remotely over Zoom because she had COVID-19, but she didn’t appear.

LaForge stressed both defendants were advised they had to be present Thursday. An arrest warrant was then issued for Bernard.

Frostick and Bernard are each charged with murder and child cruelty in the May 9 death of their daughter, Charlotte.

They were arrested that day but released two days later pending further investigation to determine whether fentanyl played a role in the child’s death.

Last month, the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office confirmed Charlotte died from “acute fentanyl intoxication.”

According to the coroner’s report, Bernard used fentanyl and went to sleep while drugs and paraphernalia were on the bed she shared with Charlotte inside their Sonoma Avenue apartment.

Investigators believe Charlotte ingested the fentanyl by touching it and then possibly putting her hands in her mouth or eyes.

Bernard discovered the toddler was not breathing and called authorities to their home at about 10:30 a.m., police said. Charlotte was pronounced dead about an hour later at Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Frostick is scheduled to attend a plea hearing Aug. 11. He is being represented by the Sonoma County Public Defender office, which did not return a call for comment Friday.

It was not immediately clear who was representing Bernard.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi