Colorado mother sentenced in 12-year-old’s fentanyl death

GREELEY, Colo. — A Greeley woman will spend nearly 18 years in prison for the fentanyl-related death of her 12-year-old daughter, according to a release from the Weld County District Attorney’s Office.

Mystique Sade Wadena, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse resulting in death as part of a plea agreement. On Friday, a District Court judge sentenced Wadena to 17.5 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections, according to the release.

In May 2022, a 911 call made from a hotel room in Firestone led paramedics and police to find an unresponsive 12-year-old girl. Police have said that Wadena made that call. 

The unresponsive child was taken to Longs Peak Hospital and later transferred to Children’s Hospital in Aurora, where she died five days later. An autopsy determined she “died of complications related to acute fentanyl toxicity,” the release said.

The investigation found that Wadena, who had been using and dealing fentanyl from her hotel room, had made plans to have her three children over for a visit the night before the 911 call was placed. Wadena reportedly did not have legal custody of her children, all of whom were minors.

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The release said two of Wadena’s children consumed some of her fentanyl pills during their visit, which killed the 12-year-old.

“The severity of the defendant’s choices, and the impact this has had on not only her family and other children, but quite frankly the rest of our community, is simply devastating,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wrenn at Wadena’s sentencing hearing on Friday, according to the release. “No amount of time in prison will bring this child back, but we do believe this is an appropriate sentence.”