Parents of 14-month-old who died from fentanyl overdose due in court

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Two Colorado Springs parents accused of killing their 14-month-old son last year are both scheduled to make court appearances Friday. The hearing not only deals with their baby's fentanyl-related death but a separate case where both are accused of distributing the fatal drug to a teenager.

36-year-old Joenny Astacio and 29-year-old Kira Villalba face several charges in connection to the death of their son 14-month-old son, Cairo Jak Astacio. These include child abuse or recklessly causing the death of child and three separate counts of possessing a controlled substance.

According to the arrest reports for both Astacio and Villalba, Cairo was taken to Children's Hospital back on November 12th of last year where he was pronounced dead.

These reports show that a Children's Hospital Clinical Social Worker told investigators that Astacio said he found Villalba asleep on top of Cairo. That's when they started CPR and called 911. According to the affidavit, CPR was provided for approximately 45-minutes. The affidavit said, "Medical personnel continued CPR hoping Cairo's parents would arrive at the hospital." When Cairo's parents still weren't there, the treating physician reported the time of death as 12:03 p.m.

The El Paso County Coroner's Office did not find anything traumatic or suspicious following an autopsy report three days after Cairo’s death. The arrest records say Cairo had substances in his blood, however, those substances were redacted from the record. The doctor deemed that the manner of Cairo’s death was an accident. 

Following the death of their son in November, Astacio and Villalba were arrested in June of 2020. Colorado Springs Police confirmed with KRDO NewsChannel 13 that they believed Cairo's death was fentanyl-related.

In court, it was revealed that Astacio admitted to Colorado Springs Police that he and his girlfriend were smoking fentanyl around the time their baby died. After an ambulance transported Cairo to the children’s hospital, which is seven minutes away from their home, according to Google Maps, prosecutors say both parents were even smoking fentanyl on their way to the hospital. According to the autopsy report, doctors say Cairo ingested an illicit fentanyl pill. Doctors said the amount of fentanyl found in Cairo's blood system was eight times higher than the legal limit for adults, according to prosecutors.

Colorado Springs Police did not find fentanyl pills in their house, however, they did find fentanyl residue inside a locked box. Villalba’s defense pointed out that Astacio was smoking fentanyl minutes before Cairo's overdose. While Astacio's lawyer made it clear that the father wasn’t in the room but Villalba was on the day of Cairo's death. Police executed a body warrant to obtain blood samples from both parents. Both had fentanyl in their blood system at the time of their son’s death, but not as much as their son.

According to arrest records for both of the suspects, a large amount of drug paraphernalia was found in the home they were staying in including a large amount of tinfoil with black residue, straws, and straw-like items. Police said the straw-like items are used to smoke narcotics from tin foil. Investigators also found multiple pipes, numerous baggies, white powdery substances, a scale, and prescription bottles containing pills. One of the prescription bottles was found in the room where Villalba and Cairo had slept.

Friday's hearing also pertains to other drug-related charges filed against both Astacio and Villalba. In both December 2021 and February 2022, Colorado Springs Police detectives believe Astacio and Villalba provided blue M30 pills containing fentanyl to a 13-year-old girl. The juvenile overdosed in both incidents.

In December, CSPD detectives provided the child with Narcan. In February, friends provided her with the same medication. Both times, she was treated at Children's Hospital Colorado and survived.

Both the 13-year-old and Astacio confirmed to detectives that the child purchased the pills from the 36-year-old.

Astacio and Villalba are both facing six charges each for the overdoses of that 13-year-old including child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury and unlawful distribution of a schedule two controlled substance to a minor.

The judge has decided to move forward to a trial.