Father charged with murder after 4-month-old dies from drug overdose in Prince George's Co., police say

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. - A 27-year-old father has been charged with the death of his infant son in Prince George’s County. 

At 6:20 a.m. on Jan. 6, police were called to the 9400 block of Largo Drive West in the Largo area where four-month-old Jaliyah Thompson was found unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later. 

On March 4, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the baby’s death was due to a drug-related overdose and declared her case a homicide.

MORE FROM FOX 5: Man dead after being shot inside Prince George’s County apartment building stairwell 

According to police, her father, Joseph Barrett had sole care and custody of the baby at the time she went unresponsive and he admitted that he was on the drug "Molly" while caring for and feeding the baby. 

Barrett was arrested on March 6, 2024. He is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect.

Anyone with additional information can call detectives at 301-516-2512.