Family mourns 2-year-old who died of suspected fentanyl poisoning; police said mother fled scene

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) - The family of 2-year-old Aurora Fernandez is mourning the sudden loss of the todler after she died of a suspected fentanyl poisoning last week.

Police said they are looking to speak to the little girl’s mother but are unaware of her whereabouts.

“She just loved love. She just wanted you to hold her and rub her back and play with her hair,” said Tina Thomas, Aurora’s aunt. “She would smile. She had the biggest, most beautiful smile and her big brown eyes.”

Portland Police say that on Thursday afternoon, they arrived at the Fox Run RV Park on NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to find Aurora in cardiac arrest.

Aurora’s cousin, Dominique Hodges, said the mother’s roommate called 911. That’s when police said Aurora’s mother allegedly left the home.

“They had heard the mother screaming, and they went in there and found her (Aurora) face down on the ground with her lips blue,” Hodges said. “They were walking her through how to do CPR, and the mother was informed that the police were coming. And she immediately stopped CPR and got up and ran.”

Police said Aurora was taken to the hospital but died of suspected fentanyl poisoning.

“I’m angry. I’m angry at everybody involved. She should’ve been never put in that position,” Thomas said. “Who could she have been in this world and all the moments lost… It makes me sad.”

“It’s something that you never want to live through,” Hodges said. “That’s a child, and she should be able to live her life. And because of someone’s negligence, she lost it.”

Police have yet to release the names of Aurora’s parents, but said they are looking for her mother.

“She was in and out of Aurora’s life a lot between jail and prison. She was young doing her own thing,” Hodges said. “I don’t think she thought about it at the time. She kind of just did it. I think it was very selfish.”

Aurora’s family said they are planning a princess-themed funeral and have a GoFundMe set up for donations to help pay for it.

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