A Lacey Township woman indicted in the overdose death of her 2-year-old son last year was allegedly driving under the influence with the boy and his younger sister five months earlier.
Natalie Sabie, 35, was indicted Wednesday on charges of aggravated manslaughter, possession of fentanyl and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
The mother of three insisted she never saw her son ingest fentanyl, but "acknowledged that there was a large amount of wax folds in her room and that she was in the process of cleaning them up at the time of this incident," according to the affidavit obtained by BreakingAC.
"But for the fentanyl ingestion, the decedent would still be alive," the pathologist told the investigator in determining the cause of Vincent Endreson's Sept. 7 death.
Vincent's obituary said he "passed away peacefully in his sleep close to his family."
Five months earlier, the boy and his then-10-month-old sister were in the back of an SUV driven by their mother April 9, when she was charged with driving under the influence and endangering the welfare of a child.
A couple in another car called police after seeing the vehicle swerving on Route 72, and then driving onto the grass. It was when the vehicle hit a small dirt pile, went a few feet in the air and then continued driving "like nothing happened," that they decided to dial 911, they told BreakingAC.
At that time, Sabie was found in possession of a prescription bottle she told the officer were suboxone, prescribed for her heroin addiction. At one point during processing, she tried to take five of the pills, but had them removed from her hand, according to the report.
Her blood was drawn for testing, the report indicates. She also told police she had a medical marijuana card.
A Division of Child Protection and Permanency worker was called to the police station, records show. It was not clear if DCPP opened a case.
Sabie was given several motor vehicle citations, including driving an unregistered vehicle without a license.
The children were taken home, where they were placed in the custody of their father, Karl Endreson, who had a pending gun case at the time.
Lacey Township police had arrested him that January for multiple weapons offenses and receiving stolen property, the affidavit states. He was in court-appointed rehab at the time of his son's death.
Sabie's brother called police to the Lanoka Harbor home at 11:15 a.m. Sept. 7, saying the child was found unresponsive, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
First-responders were unable to revive the boy, who was pronounced dead at Community Medical Center in Toms River an hour later.
While his mother insisted her medications were all in a box secured by a code and key, detectives found used wax folds stamped "Larry Love" on top of a dresser and more in a garbage can, according to the affidavit. All tested positive for fentanyl.
Sabie told detectives she believed she last used two days before her son's death, and that those empty folds were ones she compiled in those days, .
An additional 44 wax folds stamped "Jokers Wild" were found in a plastic container in a dresser drawer. They were initially in a backpack belonging to Karl Endreson, Sabie told police. Those also tested positive for fentanyl.
The couple's 15-month-old daughter and Sabie's then-11-year-old son were also in the home.
During a court appearance in December, the prosecutor in the cases said the current offer was for Sabie to plead guilty to second-degree endangering in the DUI case, with a sentence of five years with no minimum.
She would also have to plead to first-degree aggravated manslaughter with a recommended 20 years consecutive with a mandatory 85 percent under the No Early Release Act.
Wednesday's indictment indicates Sabie did not accept the deal.
She remains in the Ocean County jail.
