Authorities investigating death of 11-year-old Haverhill girl

HAVERHILL, Mass. — The community is grieving the death of an 11-year-old girl as investigators are trying to determine how she died.

Precious Wallaces was found unresponsive at a family member's home on Saturday morning, officials said.

"It’s very heartbreaking," said Kathryn Christian of Haverhill, a neighbor who often saw Precious playing outside her home.

Boston 25 has learned investigators are looking into the possibility that Precious may have been exposed to Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine.

Fentanyl is the drug most often involved in fatal overdoses in the country.

What caused Precious to fall into a coma is now the focus of a multi-agency criminal probe. The Essex District Attorney’s Office, Lawrence Police and the Essex State Police Detective Unit announced the investigation on Tuesday. Precious was removed from life support later Monday.

At 3:15 a.m. Saturday, after getting a call for a sick child, a Lawrence dispatcher sent at ambulance to a multi-family house on Jackson Street.

The person making the 911 call said the child "ate a bunch of candy" and was unwell.

"Uh, baby ate a bunch of candy, is now bleeding from the nose and mouth, having a hard time to breathe," the caller told the dispatcher, according to Broadcastify audio.

What was initially thought to be a baby in distress turned out to be 11-year-old Precious.

A downstairs neighbor told Boston 25 news that after the ambulance left, crime scene investigators arrived.

"The state police were here taking pictures of the crime, whatever, scene - was upstairs. They had access to the room all morning," the neighbor said.

On Wednesday, neighbors on Proctor Street in Haverhill, where Precious lived with her mother and brother, said they're heartbroken.

"It’s sad that one day she is here and the next day, you find out she passed," William Ball said.

Kathryn Christian of Haverhill said she met the family nine months ago, when she first moved into the neighborhood.

"I just seen her, when she used to ride down the street on a scooter. They used to sit up here and ride in front of the house," Christian said.

In a statement, the Essex County DA's office said it began investigating the circumstances surrounding a medical call involving the girl that was placed from a Lawrence home early Saturday. The 11-year-old was taken to Lawrence General Hospital and then flown to Tufts Medical Center.

The DA's office said in a statement Wednesday that their office is responsible for investigating all sudden and unexpected deaths and their involvement "should not be construed that this is a criminal matter." All possible causes are being investigated, including "possible exposure to a toxic substance," the statement said, and the DA's office will not comment further until their investigation was complete.

Precious was a sixth grader at the Consentino School in Haverhill. Haverhill School Superintendent Margaret Marotta said in a statement that in addition to grief and bereavement support offered for children and staff at the Consentino and Tilton Schools, staff from Riverside Trauma Center will be available to families by phone who might need additional support.

Her aunt has set up a GoFundMe for her funeral expenses, writing, "this tragedy happened so unexpectedly, who would of thought our Precious would leave us so soon. She was just starting to live life!"

Jennifer Follis, a neighbor of the family in Haverhill, recalled Precious as a "happy" girl.

"She seemed very happy. I remember seeing her in the summer one day. They were all coming from the store," Follis said.

Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini said the girl's death has stunned the community.

"It's a very emotional thing, seeing just how upset the kids were," he said.

Cox Media Group