Joliet mother arrested after 12-year-old daughter ingested suspected heroin, fentanyl and died 3 days later

JOLIET, Ill. - A Joliet woman was arrested Sunday after her 12-year-old daughter ingested suspected heroin and fentanyl and later died of an overdose. 

Colette Bancroft, 35, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance.

At about 8:24 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to a residence in the 1500 block of East Washington Street for an unresponsive 12-year-old girl.

When officers arrived, they located the girl in a bedroom on the second floor of the home, police said.

Officers provided medical assistance until paramedics arrived. She was then transported to Silver Cross Hospital by the Joliet Fire Department. Shortly after, she was transferred to Ann and Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, where she was pronounced dead around 5 p.m. Wednesday. 

Following a preliminary investigation, police determined that the 12-year-old girl ingested an unknown amount of suspected heroin and fentanyl. She was found unresponsive by her mother, Bancroft. Others inside the home called 911. 

It was determined that Bancroft and her daughter shared the bedroom where the victim was located and officers recovered suspected heroin and fentanyl from Bancroft’s purse in the bedroom, police said. 

She was taken into custody without incident and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was notified about the incident.

Bancroft was released on a notice to appear for possession of a controlled substance. 

The case remains under active investigation.