Father charged in death of 2-year-old who overdosed on NyQuil

In August 2021, 2-year-old Josiah Nevers died from consuming too much NyQuil.

While the exact circumstances surrounding the toddler's death remain unclear, a preliminary hearing was held in Detroit on Tuesday.

Josiah's father, Corey Nevers, has been charged with child abuse and manslaughter in the death of the 2-year-old.

Josiah Nevers

Josiah allegedly died on August 11, 2021, overdosing on too much NyQuil – but investigators believe he had been dead for days before that. 

However, Josiah's mother, Tanesha Slaughter, learned about her son's death on August 11, 2021. Slaughter and Corey Nevers had three children together. They are separated; the kids stayed with Corey, while Slaughter lived in a hotel.

When Corey was interviewed at the police station, he was questioned about the marks on Josiah's body, and when exactly he died.

"Dr. Sung is saying, and we met with him and spoke with him for a long time yesterday, he's saying that the stuff on his skin isn’t from being burned. It’s from when someone dies and if they’ve been dead for a while, the skin starts to pull away from itself," one investigator told Corey.

Slaughter last saw her children days before Josiah's death, at a nearby Chuck E. Cheese's.

"Additionally, there were multiple abrasions in various stages of healing on the head, neck, back and right and left arms and legs," the prosecution said during Tuesday's hearing.

Corey returns to court on August 6.

Crime and Public SafetyDetroit