ROCK SPRINGS — A 35-year-old Rock Springs man was arrested this morning after his child died from an accidental drug overdose back in October, according to a press release from the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).

Daniel Scott James, who is accused of involuntary manslaughter in his son’s death, was arrested earlier today at his residence without incident.

On the morning of Tuesday, October 21, deputies responded to a home north of Rock Springs for a two-year-old boy who was unconscious, unresponsive, and not breathing.

“When they arrived, they found the boy’s father administering CPR. The child’s body was stiff and cold to the touch; he was obviously deceased,” Sheriff’s office spokesperson Jason Mower said.

Despite first responders’ efforts to resuscitate him, the boy was pronounced deceased by paramedics on the scene, the release states.

Through the course of investigation, detectives learned James was taking a number of different prescribed and illicit medications including Buprenorphine, commonly branded as Suboxone and prescribed to treat opioid withdrawal.

At the time of death, James said he kept his medications in a pill organizer on the microwave. However, the night before the boy died, James told investigators he noticed his Buprenorphine was missing from the pill organizer. The child’s mother also reported that her toddler son vomited several times before bed that night.

“While no obvious signs of trauma were discovered during autopsy, toxicology results revealed Buprenorphine in the child’s system,” the press release states. “While forensic experts would not specify the exact number of pills the boy may have ingested, they said less than one pill was enough to prove lethal.”

“These investigations are never easy. A child was lost,” Lead detective on the case, Stephanie Cassidy, said. “Despite the circumstances, my deepest condolences are with the family. We’ve spent a lot of time and effort over the last few months piecing this together and trying to bring justice to this little boy.”

In Wyoming, involuntary manslaughter is defined as unlawfully killing any human being without malice, involuntarily, but recklessly, and is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

All people are presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with law.