An 11-year-old girl is dead after ingesting her mother’s prescribed methadone. The Denison Police Department reports that its officers responded to the 500 block of West Hull Street for a report of an unresponsive child around 8 a.m. on December 25, 2021.

At the scene, the girl, Harper Butler, was found not breathing and she did not have a pulse. The victim was transported to an area hospital where she was pronounced deceased. DPD says the mother claimed that the child had accidentally ingested her prescribed methadone.

DPD says the investigation continued. In June 2024, detectives received information alleging that the mother, 39-year-old Candice Cooper, had intentionally administered methadone to the child.

When Cooper was interviewed again, she allegedly confessed to intentionally dosing her child with methadone knowing the possible ramifications. The Dallas Medical Examiner ruled the child’s death as a homicide. On July 11, 2024, detectives secured a warrant for Cooper who is charged with Murder.

She is being held in the Grayson County Jail with a $1,000,000 bond.