Staff Report / September 10. 2025
A Tompkins County man is facing serious charges after authorities say his drug use directly led to the death of a 4-year-old boy.
According to New York State Police, 31-year-old Justin Fenton of Newfield was arrested Monday following a Tompkins County Grand Jury indictment. He is charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and tampering with physical evidence.
The case stems from a June 30, 2024 incident, when troopers responded to a home on South Way in Newfield for a report of an unresponsive child in cardiac arrest. The boy was taken to Cayuga Medical Center, where he later died. An autopsy and toxicology analysis determined the cause of death to be fentanyl toxicity. Investigators allege the child was exposed to the drug through Fenton’s reckless use.
After the indictment was handed down on September 4, 2025, an arrest warrant was issued. Fenton was located on September 8, taken into custody at the State Police barracks in Ithaca, and then booked into the Tompkins County Jail.
