EVANSVILLE DAD FOUND GUILTY OF NEGLECT IN INFANT CHILD’S FENTANYL DEATH

VANDERBURGH COUNTY, Ind. — Prosecutor Diana Moers announces that on Wednesday, April 22, a jury found Taylor Mitchell Fischer guilty of Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death as a Level 1 Felony.

On September 11, 2023, dispatch received a 911 call about an unresponsive child at a home on North Spring Street in Evansville. Emergency response personnel attempted life-saving measures on the 11-month-old victim, but the child was pronounced dead at the hospital.

In the home, law enforcement officers found meth, fentanyl, a glass pipe, digital scales, and other drugs. Fischer admitted ownership of the glass pipe that later tested positive for fentanyl and admitted ownership of the other drugs in the home.

Toxicology reports showed the presence of fentanyl, fentanyl precursors, xylazine, and naloxone in the child’s system. The forensic pathologist determined that the cause of death was due to fentanyl intoxication.

The case against Fischer had previously gone to trial in 2024, but a retrial was held this week due to an evidentiary issue.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Stan Levco and Jessica Berry tried the case, and the Honorable Judge Robert J. Pigman of the Vanderburgh Superior Court presided.

Individuals from our office who assisted in the case include Robyn Mastison, Jess Pollock, Jen Savage, and Tony Carden. Our office would also like to thank EPD Sgt. Klein, who was the lead investigator in the case and assisted at trial.

Fischer is now scheduled to be sentenced on May 4. The Level 1 Felony charge that Fischer was convicted of at trial carries a possible sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison. After Fischer’s previous trial and conviction, he was sentenced to serve 30 years in the Indiana Department of Correction in February 2025.