Couple arrested, accused of taking 2-year-old son from hospital following suspected cocaine overdose

Published: Feb. 3, 2023 at 9:30 PM CST|Updated: Apr. 4, 2023 at 4:02 PM CDT

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (WVUE) - A missing boy has been found and his parents arrested, accused of taking the 2-year-old from a hospital while he was being treated for a cocaine overdose.

Arianne Stechmann, 37, and Johnathan Kritzman, 31, were taken into custody at a hotel in Bay St. Louis around 11 a.m. on April 4, according to the U.S. Marshals and Department of Justice.

On Monday, Jan. 30, police say the couple’s 2-year-old son tested positive for having cocaine in his system at the Children’s Hospital in New Orleans.

The child arrived via ambulance and was admitted to the ICU where he was intubated.

Detectives say Stechmann and Kritzman fled the hospital with the child on Thurs., Feb. 2, after the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) was granted emergency custody.

The couple is being held in the Hancock County Jail awaiting extradition back to Louisiana.

The child was given to the custody of DCFS and taken to a hospital for a wellness check.

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