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EDMONTON — Police in Edmonton say they have charged three people after a toddler ingested street drugs and died in September.

They say a friend of the boy's mother was taking care of him and took him for a walk near their home when she noticed he was in medical distress.

Police say the mother and her friend took the 23-month-old boy to a nearby clinic, where a staff member saw he was not responsive and immediately called 911. 

They say he was then transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police say the medical examiner's office determined the boy accidentally ingested fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

Following an investigation, police say they arrested the 20-year-old friend of the boy's mother, charging her with criminal negligence causing death in early December.

Police say the toddler's mother and her common-law partner, who was not the boy's biological father, turned themselves in two weeks later and are each facing the same charge. 

The Canadian Press