"She is on something:" Woman charged with child neglect admitted to snorting heroin with kids in car
GREENFIELD -- Good Samaritans called 911 when they spotted a pregnant woman experiencing symptoms of a heroin overdose on Tuesday, January 17th. The mother was in a car at the Speedway gas station near Loomis and Howard -- about to drive away with two children inside her vehicle.
Greenfield police said pregnant women overdosing on heroin is rare, but sadly, this case serves as a reflection of the opioid epidemic.
FOX6 News has obtained the 911 calls that tell the story of how everyday people at a gas station noticed something was seriously wrong.
911 caller: "It looks like she is on something. Her eyes are rolling in the head."
911 caller: "She has two small children with her."
Customers going about their business took notice of 37-year-old Natalie Reszczynski, who was struggling to keep her balance at the Speedway gas station.
911 caller: "I don't want anything to happen to the children. I'm more than willing to make the call if it helps out."
Concern grew for two children in the car, ages three and five.
"It's quite rare to have a person who is pregnant that overdoses, but overdoses themselves are happening too much," said Detective Sergeant Eric Lindstrom with the Greenfield Police Department.
Lindstrom told FOX6 News, this case is a reflection of the heroin epidemic sweeping America. He said there are signs to watch out for in the case of an overdose.
"Almost like they are drunk. They might be staggering. They might have problems interacting with someone -- almost like they're out of it," said Lindstrom.
Natalie Reszczynski
According to the criminal complaint, when officers arrived at the scene, they noticed Natalie Reszczynski's eyelids were droopy. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was treated with Narcan. She admitted to snorting $10 worth of heroin.
Reszczynski told police she felt like she was going to "black out" and that she's never overdosed on heroin before. What she snorted this time was the "same amount of heroin she usually does," but she did notice the heroin she received was darker brown than it normally was.
Reszczynski is charged with two misdemeanor counts of child neglect.
"We're most thankful someone realized she needed help in the first place and weren't hesitant to call us. Secondly, the fact that this female had two young kids in the car -- that they didn't allow her to simply get in the vehicle and drive away," said Lindstrom.
The two children have since been turned over to their father.
Greenfield police encourage anyone who is in need of help with heroin abuse to contact the department.
They stressed that YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED OR ARRESTED. Instead, they will help you on the road to recovery.