The tragic death of a two-month-old Middle Village boy during the summer of 2023 has been deemed a homicide investigation, the NYPD announced on New Year’s Day.
The city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiners determined that infant Mike Nieto Parra died from an overdose of ketamine during the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 5.
Police from the 104th Precinct in Ridgewood reported that family members discovered the boy lying on a bed, unconscious and unresponsive, and rushed him by private means to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that day.
An NYPD spokesman said there are no arrests as of Thursday morning but could not say how the infant was exposed to the anesthetic drug commonly used on animals. Ketamine is also known as a “club drug” used by young adults at raves and concerts. It is manufactured in powder and liquid form and puts users in a state of “K-land” due to the hallucinogenic effect. It’s also known as “Baby food” as it puts users in an infantile inertia, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
An overdose can cause unconsciousness and dangerously slowed breathing, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Ketamine produces hallucinations. It distorts perceptions of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control. A “Special K” trip
is touted as better than that of LSD or PCP because its hallucinatory effects are relatively short in duration, lasting approximately 30 to 60 minutes as opposed to several hours, according to the DEA.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announced its finding on New Year’s Eve following an extensive autopsy which determined the infant died of acute drug intoxication.
The homicide investigation remains ongoing, police said Wednesday.
