CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An autopsy report reveals that one of two children found dead along with his mother in a Charlotte apartment in April 2024 died of fentanyl.
The report from the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office said that 7-month-old Messiah Johnson had the drug in his system along with cocaine. The medical examiner determined fentanyl as the cause of death in this case, with the cocaine as a contributing factor. Additionally, Messiah Johnson had the sleep aid melatonin in his system and diphenhydramine, an antihistamine commonly sold as Benadryl.
It's not known why the boy had both melatonin and diphenhydramine in his system when he died, although the medical examiner's notes indicate that they could have contributed to his death. The autopsy report also notes the fentanyl that killed Messiah Johnson was accompanied by 4-ANPP, a common contaminant found in non-prescription fentanyl sold on the street.
Messiah Johnson and his older sister, 4-year-old Miracle Johnson, were both discovered dead along with their mother Markayla Johnson after they were reported missing in March 2024. Family members said they hadn't heard from Markayla Johnson since January and asked for a welfare check.
Markayla Johnson was found dead in the apartment she and her children shared with her then-boyfriend Benjamin Taylor. The children were discovered dead in the trunk of his car.
Taylor was later arrested in California and extradited to North Carolina. He faces three counts of first-degree murder.
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