Baby exposed to heroin required 3 doses of Narcan, Melbourne police say

Nathanial James Clay arrested on child abuse charge

Nathaniel Clay, 28. (WKMG 2020)

MELBOURNE, Fla. – A baby left unattended for a few minutes inside a Brevard County home got “a brown substance” on his or her clothing that later tested positive for heroin and three doses of the opioid-reversal drug Narcan were required to stabilize the infant, according to Melbourne police.

Nathanial James Clay, 28, told police he stepped outside Wednesday to smoke a cigarette for two or three minutes and when he returned inside the infant was “covered in the brown substance,” according to a police report. The child’s clothing was later tested and the substance was heroin, according to the report.

Recommended Videos



Clay drove the baby to Fire Station Five on East University Boulevard, police said. The child was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center, where medical staff said they had to give the infant three doses of the opioid-reversal drug Narcan to stabilize the baby, according to the report.

Medical staff said the infant was extremely lethargic but never stopped breathing, according to police. The infant tested positive for opiates, according to the report.

A witness told police he was outside the home with Clay selling or buying heroin, the report stated. While he was outside, Clay came back out and said “I think (the baby) may have gotten into the heroin,” according to the arrest report. According to the witness, Clay pointed a gun at the witness and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone, police said.

The baby is expected to make a full recovery, according to police.

Clay faces a charge of felony child abuse and his bail was set at $5,000, jail records show.


Recommended Videos