Brooke County Sheriff Richard Ferguson said the preliminary findings of a medical exam indicate the 21-month-old infant ingested the narcotic methadone.

Paramedics responded to a call that a Follansbee baby wasn't breathing on December 10. Crews rushed the baby to Weirton Medical Center, but the child's life could not be saved.

The state did conduct an autopsy, and the Brooke County Sheriff's Department is also investigating.

J.J. Bernabei, a pharmacist, said, "Methadone can be a very dangerous drug in the wrong hands, whether it's an adult or a child."

Medical experts say people typically take methadone to treat a heroin addiction or as a pain controller.

Medical experts say heart attacks can be a dangerous reaction to the drug.

Bernabei said, "Just the mechanism by which it works through your brain any time you mess with those chemicals and put then in a different balance you can cause your heart to fail."

Follansbee Police Chief John Schwertfeger said he's treating the case as a homicide until the investigation shows otherwise.

Investigators are waiting for the complete autopsy to know whether methadone or some other medical condition was the cause of death.

No charges have been filed.

-Renee Cardelli & Kelly Bryan, NEWS9