MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE, Utah - The father of a 4-year-old girl treated for alcohol poisoning last month believes someone gave it to her intentionally and he wants to know who.
"It’s very scary knowing someone was either trying to kill her, or just sedate her. She's already been through enough in her life for four years," said Paul Silva. "You know, why this? Why her?"
On April 11, his daughter Le'A Silva, who has severe cerebral palsy, was rushed to a hospital after she was found unresponsive in her mother’s apartment in Marriott-Slaterville. When Le'A arrived at Primary Children’s Medical Center, her blood alcohol content was so high she could have died, according to Silva.
"It was a very high volume that it was pretty much like venom," he said.
Le'A, who was three years old at the time of the incident, is unable to walk, crawl, or even swallow, which Silva said would have made it impossible for her to ingest the alcohol on her own.
"They either poured it into her feeding bag, or took a syringe and pushed it into directly into her stomach," Silva said.
According to Silva, Le'A's mother was the last person to see her on the day she fell ill. He acknowledged that home health nurse had also visited the home early that morning.
FOX13 tried to reach her at the apartment Le'A was staying at in April, but received no response.
The Weber County Sheriff's Office would not comment on the details of the case Monday. Officials would only say it is an open investigation.
However, Silva said authorities are now considering the possibility that Le'A's alcohol poisoning is not an isolated incident.
"About a month before, she's been really tired and sleepy," said Silva. "So, they're really looking into it to see if it's been happening in the past month or so, or if it was just that day."
According to Silva, Le'A's mother had primary custody of their daughter, but he has now taken on that role. He plans to file for full custody of her in the future.
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Girl, 4, hospitalized after found unconscious from alcohol consumption
