By: Yuritza Arroyo
Ocean County authorities announced that on April 5, Natalie Sabie, 35, of Lacey Township, was indicted by a Grand Jury sitting in Ocean County on the charge of Aggravated Manslaughter in connection with the death of her two-year-old son on September 7, 2022, in Lacey Township.
According to officials, Sabie was also indicted on three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child and Possession of Fentanyl.
Lacey Township Police said on September 7, 2022; Officers were summoned to a residence for a report of a two-year-old male unresponsive by his mother, Natalie Sabie.
Responding Officers and Paramedics at the scene attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful in their efforts.
According to Police, the child was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced deceased. Further investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Lacey Township Police Department, and Lacey Township Police Department Detective Bureau determined that Sabie was at home with the child and responsible for his care on September 7th when he was found unresponsive.
The investigation also revealed that the child had access to illegal narcotics while in his mother’s care and that two other minor children resided in the home at the time.
According to authorities, on September 9, 2022, a post-mortem examination was performed on the child by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office; the examination results remained inconclusive pending toxicology analysis.
On October 12, 2022, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office received the toxicology report, which revealed the presence of a significant amount of fentanyl in the child’s system.
Based upon this report, a forensic pathologist made a determination that the child’s cause of death was acute fentanyl intoxication.
On October 14, 2022, Sabie was taken into custody and charged in connection with the death of her son. Sabie was processed and lodged in the Ocean County Jail since her apprehension.
