A relative called the police after she checked in on her family Tuesday and found 35-year-old Amber Barry and her boyfriend, 55-year-old Eddie Parthemer, dead on their porch.
WKBN-TV obtained a recording of the emergency call from the relative.
“I just did a welfare check on my sister because nobody’s been able to get ahold of them and they’re both slumped over on the porch unresponsive,” said the woman on the call.
“OK, what?” responded the dispatcher.
“I’m sure they’re dead,” she replied.
The woman said she entered into the home through a window and found the couple’s 3-year-old son inside. She said he was shivering and wearing only a diaper.
Deputies from the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office responded at about 2:30 p.m. and transported the child to a hospital to be evaluated.
“Evidence from the residence at this point is leading us to believe that this is a possible overdose,” said Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office Major Tony Villanueva.
“The residence was deplorable conditions and at the time of the call there was no heat inside the residence as well,” he added.
The boy was likely left alone for a period of time between 24 and 48 hours, according to investigators. Autopsies for the two decedents were scheduled for Wednesday.
Villanueva said the relative likely saved the boy’s life.
“Luckily, a family member recognized that there was a problem. Didn’t hear from her family for a couple of days, went to check it out and because of that gut instinct, she was able to save that boy’s life,” he concluded.
The child is safe with family.
The incident mirrored a similar story from Ohio in 2016 when police published a haunting photograph of a couple that had overdosed in their car while their 4-year-old boy sat in a car seat behind them. They were heavily criticized for releasing the photo, but they defended their actions as a warning about opiod addiction.
Here’s a local news report about the incident:
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