Mom who contributed to baby son’s fentanyl-related death sentenced to prison

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - A Jurupa Valley woman partly responsible for her 1-year-old son's ingestion of a deadly dose of fentanyl was bound for state prison today to serve a sentence of 12 years, four months behind bars after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and another felony.

Sandy Alyssa Acuna, 25, admitted the manslaughter count, along with child cruelty, under a plea agreement Tuesday with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for her admissions, prosecutors dropped second-degree murder and other charges against Acuna.

During a hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Superior Court Judge Joshlyn Pulliam certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.  

Acuna's co-defendant and former live-in boyfriend, 26-year-old Adler Alan Metcalf of Jurupa Valley, is charged with second-degree murder and three counts of child cruelty. Metcalf's case was pending trial Wednesday at the downtown courthouse, though no courtroom had been assigned yet for pretrial motions. He's being held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Robert Presley Jail. 

The defendants were the parents of Adler Jr., who died in 2020.   

According to a sheriff's department arrest warrant declaration, in the early morning hours of Sept. 1, 2020, Acuna called 911 after discovering the toddler unconscious and barely breathing in their mobile home in the 5400 block of 34th Street.  

Paramedics attempted resuscitative measures, and the child was taken to a Riverside hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.   

Acuna told first responders she believed Adler Jr. had somehow climbed out of his crib and gotten hold of ``three Oxycontin'' pills that she claimed had been prescribed to her, according to the affidavit. The case was immediately turned over to detectives for potential child abuse, and further investigation revealed Acuna had no prescription for the painkillers.   

Investigators also turned their attention to the couple's 4-month-old daughter, Melissa, whose blood was tested for the presence of drugs, which confirmed the infant had marijuana in her system, according to court papers.   

An autopsy ultimately verified that Adler Jr. had died from ``acute fentanyl toxicity,'' the declaration stated.   

Detectives seized Acuna's mobile phone after a search warrant was served at the defendants' residence in early October 2020. The device revealed pictures of blue ``M-30'' pills, which are known to contain fentanyl, according to the affidavit.

``Sandy said she does not use the drug,'' the document said. ``She said she allows a number of people to use her phone. Adler Sr. said he vapes marijuana, using a wax pen.''

Investigators later uncovered the parents were intentionally ``giving fentanyl and marijuana to Adler Jr. and Melissa'' for reasons unclear, the affidavit alleged.

The pair were arrested without incident during the second week of November 2020. Neither defendant had documented prior felony convictions.