Maine Father Says Arrested Wife Kim Nelligan ‘Rubbed Fentanyl’ On Now Deceased Baby’s Gums To ‘Help Her Sleep’

BANGOR, ME. (THECOUNT) — Kimberly Nelligan has been identified as the Bangor, Maine mother accused of the murder of her young child, according to reports.

Nelligan, 33, was arrested Tuesday in the death of her 1-year-old daughter after being accused of rubbing synthetic heroin on the girl’s gums to “help her sleep,” court documents revealed Wednesday.

Nelligan appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to charges of child endangerment and drug possession, the Bangor Daily News reports.

Her daughter little Jordynn, was found unresponsive at home in October, 2018 and was pronounced dead at an area hospital, WCSH reports.

The Maine medical examiner later determined that she died of acute intoxication from the powerful, synthetic opioid fentanyl.

The Bangor Daily News reports that the child’s father told police he saw Nelligan apply the residue to the little girl’s gums more than a dozen times when she had trouble falling asleep. She allegedly told him that she would never hurt the girl on purpose, and that she had done the same thing with their two older children when they were younger, reports PIX11.

The medical examiner’s office concluded that Jordynn directly ingested the fentanyl that killed her, the paper reports.

Nelligan is currently being held without bail at the Penobscot County Jail. She is due back in court Nov. 12.

DEVELOPING::

Geo quick facts: Bangor is a city in Maine. On Main Street, a towering statue of folkloric lumberjack Paul Bunyan hints at Bangor’s former status as a timber hub. The Maine Discovery Museum has hands-on exhibits on nature, science and the arts, geared to kids. Nearby, the University of Maine Museum of Art focuses on modern and contemporary works. To the north, Bangor City Forest is crossed by trails and inhabited by beaver and deer. Maine, the northeasternmost U.S. state, is known for its rocky coastline, maritime history and nature areas like the granite and spruce islands of Acadia National Park. Moose are plentiful in Baxter State Park, home to Mt. Katahdin, endpoint of the Appalachian Trail. Lighthouses such as the candy-striped beacon at West Quoddy Head, dot the coast, as do lobster shacks and sandy beaches like Ogunquit and Old Orchard – wikipedia.