An Alabama couple is demanding accountability after their 4-year-old daughter was hospitalized with a life-threatening level of ethanol in her system — a mystery that began while she was at school.
Mary and Albert Singleton, speaking to Fox affiliate WALA, said their daughter was attending a school in the Mobile County Public Schools system when she suddenly became limp and unresponsive on Monday afternoon. School officials contacted the parents just two minutes before dismissal to alert them of their daughter’s condition.
When Mary Singleton arrived at the school nurse’s office, she was horrified by what she saw.
“She was slobbering at the mouth, she was heavy, and the teacher handed her to me saying we probably needed to take her to the ER,” Mary told WALA.
The family rushed the child to the hospital, where doctors quickly ran a toxicology report. The results were alarming: the 4-year-old had a blood alcohol content of 0.29 — more than three times the legal limit for adults and a potentially fatal level for a small child.
The substance in her system was identified as ethyl alcohol (ethanol) — the type found in alcoholic beverages but also present in common items such as hand sanitizer, food packaging, and some cosmetic or skincare products. It remains unclear what product the girl was exposed to or how it ended up accessible to her while under school supervision.
The child spent two days in the Intensive Care Unit before being released on Wednesday.
Mobile County Public Schools has not responded to requests for comment, and as of now, the exact source of the ethanol remains unknown.
The Prichard Police Department has launched an investigation into the incident and told WALA the case may be referred to the Child Advocacy Center for further review. No criminal charges have been filed yet.
The Singletons are now left with more questions than answers and are urging school officials and investigators to determine how such a dangerous exposure could happen to a preschooler in what should be a safe environment.