North Texas couple in custody after four children under 10 test positive for fentanyl, police say
In a harrowing development that highlights the pervasive reach of synthetic narcotics into domestic households, a North Texas couple wanted by law enforcement was taken into custody late Sunday night after medical evaluations revealed that four young children under their care tested positive for fentanyl.
The suspects, identified as 34-year-old Auston Patrick Green and 27-year-old Cindy Cristina Chevez Batres, were apprehended around 11:30 p.m. following an intensive multi-agency search led by the Lakeside Police Department. Both individuals now face four felony counts each of abandoning or endangering a child, marking a grim escalation in regional cases involving juvenile drug exposure.
The investigation began as a collaborative effort between the Lakeside Police Department and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). Concerned welfare officials executed comprehensive medical evaluations on the four minors, all of whom are under the age of ten. The laboratory findings sent shockwaves through the investigative team: toxicology screens confirmed that every single child had ingested or absorbed trace amounts of fentanyl—a synthetic opioid up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
Fentanyl exposure in small children is extraordinarily dangerous, with even microscopic amounts capable of causing severe respiratory depression, permanent neurological damage, or fatal overdose within minutes. While law enforcement authorities have not publicly disclosed the exact physical condition or current treatment protocol of the four victims, the positive test results triggered immediate protective intervention by state welfare agencies to remove the children from the hazardous environment.
Following the medical confirmation, Lakeside police issued warrants for both Green and Batres, who had become the subject of an active law enforcement search. Details surrounding the exact physical location where the couple was ultimately trapped and handcuffed late Sunday remain withheld by department spokespersons, citing ongoing operational protocols and potential secondary investigations. However, officials confirmed that both suspects were successfully processed into the county correctional system overnight.
Booking records indicate that Auston Patrick Green is currently being held at the Tarrant County Jail, with bond set at $40,000 for the four child endangerment charges. His partner, Cindy Cristina Chevez Batres, is likewise incarcerated at the same facility on a $30,000 bond for the endangerment counts.
However, Batres’s legal entanglements extend beyond the immediate charges in Tarrant County. Official court documents show that she is also facing an outstanding charge of theft of property levied by the Denton County Sheriff’s Office. No bond amount has been listed for the Denton County offense, effectively ensuring that she will remain behind bars even if the financial requirements for her Tarrant County charges are met.
Under Texas Penal Code Section 22.041, abandoning or endangering a child is classified as a state jail felony if the offender committed the act under circumstances that a reasonable person would believe placed the child in imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment. The presence of a Schedule II controlled substance like fentanyl in the bloodstream of children under ten years old presents a formidable legal burden for the defense, as state prosecutors increasingly treat domestic narcotic exposure as a grave form of physical endangerment.
The arrest of Green and Batres underscores a deeply troubling trend reported by public health and law enforcement agencies across Texas, where illicit synthetic opioids intended for adult consumption frequently find their way into living spaces accessible to toddlers and young youths. Child protective advocates emphasize that accidental ingestion, dermal contact with residue, or secondhand inhalation of smoked fentanyl powder represent immediate life-threatening crises for young bodies.
As the legal proceedings against Auston Patrick Green and Cindy Cristina Chevez Batres begin to take shape in Tarrant and Denton counties, state child protective agents continue to coordinate long-term care, monitoring, and protective placement for the four affected children. Preliminary court appearances and formal arraignments for both defendants are expected to be scheduled in the coming days, where prosecutors are anticipated to argue for stringent oversight given the critical risk posed to the young victims.
