Methadone Found at Crash That Killed 3-Year-Old: ME

Bottles of methadone were found in the car that crashed into a power pole last month, killing a 3-year-old girl, a San Diego County Medical Examiner’s report reveals.

The toddler, Carlee Ramirez, was not buckled in properly before the deadly crash on April 4 in El Cajon, a city in east San Diego County, the ME said. Her mother Brandy Teague was behind the wheel and now faces a number of felony charges in the girl’s death.

Carlee was sitting in a booster seat in the left rear passenger side of the Hyundai Elantra when Teague veered off Broadway and into the pole. While Carlee’s lap belt was secure, the shoulder belt was behind the back of the seat, according to the report.

Although emergency crews performed CPR on Carlee and took her to Rady Children’s Hospital, she died soon after. Her cause of death was blunt force injuries to her head and a neck fracture, the ME said, and her manner of death is an accident.

When ME investigators examined the scene of the crash, they found a bottle of methadone behind the driver’s seat and another on the ground beside the car, placed there by officers.

Teague’s sons, 1 and 10 years old, both survived the crash with minor to moderate injuries. El Cajon police believe Teague fell asleep at the wheel before she crashed.

She is now in jail, charged with gross vehicular manslaughter, DUI causing injury, driving on a suspended license and other felonies. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and her next court appearance is scheduled for June 16.

Carlee’s father, Carlos Ramirez, spoke with NBC 7 not long after he lost his daughter. He said he did not want Carlee to go with Teague because he suspected she was under the influence of drugs, but he did not have full custody of her. According to the ME’s report, Carlee’s maternal grandmother was her legal guardian.

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