Brittany Freeman

Denver

Investigative Producer at Scripps News

I’m an investigative producer at @ScrippsNews who is passionate about mental health, public records, and baseball. I only tweet about the 49ers and Giants.

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Articles

Many child fentanyl deaths remain uncharged, Scripps News review finds

1 month ago | scrippsnews.com | Brittany Freeman |Lori Jane Gliha

Lieutenant Thomas Parker‘s eyes filled with tears when he pictured where Damien Coats might be today. “He would be 5 years old this year. That means kindergarten,” Parker said. “I’m sure he would love to be at the playground playing.” Damien Coats Damien was 3 years old when he died in January 2023 in an Arizona hospital due to “complications of fentanyl intoxication,” according to the medical examiner.
States push for life-saving fentanyl testing laws amid rising opioid concerns

2 months ago | scrippsnews.com | Lori Jane Gliha |Brittany Freeman

A recent investigation by Scripps News has highlighted the growing trend of states implementing and considering laws mandating fentanyl testing, a move that some families say has saved lives. Notably, one family in California credits a fentanyl test at their local hospital with saving the lives of their five-month-old twin babies. The parents of the twins reported that, during their hospital visit, a required test detected fentanyl in the infants' systems.
States push for life-saving fentanyl testing laws amid rising opioid concerns

2 months ago | wptv.com | Lori Jane Gliha |Brittany Freeman

April 2025: New state laws that require fentanyl testing are saving lives Four lives may have been saved the day Lauren Hinton rushed her 5-month-old son to Children’s Hospital of Orange County in January 2024. Hinton, 31, said she noticed her infant periodically seemed to be gagging on his saliva in previous weeks. One medical professional had passed it off as acid reflux, but Hinton noticed it was getting worse.
States push for life-saving fentanyl testing laws amid rising opioid concerns

2 months ago | tmj4.com | Lori Jane Gliha |Brittany Freeman |Tony Aria

A recent investigation by Scripps News has highlighted the growing trend of states implementing and considering laws mandating fentanyl testing, a move that some families say has saved lives. Notably, one family in California credits a fentanyl test at their local hospital with saving the lives of their five-month-old twin babies. The parents of the twins reported that, during their hospital visit, a required test detected fentanyl in the infants' systems.
States push for life-saving fentanyl testing laws amid rising opioid concerns

2 months ago | wtvr.com | Lori Jane Gliha |Brittany Freeman

Four lives may have been saved the day Lauren Hinton rushed her 5-month-old son to Children’s Hospital of Orange County in January 2024. Hinton, 31, said she noticed her infant periodically seemed to be gagging on his saliva in previous weeks. One medical professional had passed it off as acid reflux, but Hinton noticed it was getting worse. On the day she hurried to that southern California emergency department, the issue had become so severe she worried her baby might die.
Twin babies and parents ‘saved’ following hospital fentanyl test

2 months ago | scrippsnews.com | Lori Jane Gliha |Brittany Freeman

Four lives may have been saved the day Lauren Hinton rushed her 5-month-old son to Children’s Hospital of Orange County in January 2024. Hinton, 31, said she noticed her infant periodically seemed to be gagging on his saliva in previous weeks. One medical professional had passed it off as acid reflux, but Hinton noticed it was getting worse. On the day she hurried to that southern California emergency department, the issue had become so severe she worried her baby might die.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis ‘disheartened’ by communication gaps in child fentanyl cases

2 months ago | scrippsnews.com | Lori Jane Gliha |Brittany Freeman

When Aviyana Montoya died in 2022, the toddler had ingested so much fentanyl a prosecutor said it was “10 times the amount” that would kill an adult. She was “cold to the touch” when adults found her unresponsive in her bedroom, and when paramedics arrived, they said “signs of rigor mortis” had already taken effect.
‘He was gasping for air’: How witnesses describe child fentanyl poisonings

Mar 26, 2025 | scrippsnews.com | Brittany Freeman |Lori Jane Gliha

A police officer’s body-worn camera captured the scene in New York after authorities received a 911 call reporting an 11-month-old baby was unresponsive. “He’s gasping,” the child’s mother explained to first responders as she cradled him in her arms in a Lake Grove home in January 2024. As the baby struggled to breathe in an ambulance, first responders noticed the pupils of his eyes appeared to be small and “pinpoint” — a sign the baby may have ingested an opioid.
Poisoned: Fentanyl’s Child Victims

Mar 19, 2025 | scrippsnews.com | Lori Jane Gliha |Brittany Freeman

For more than two years, Scripps News has been independently tracking the fentanyl deaths and poisonings of babies and young children to shine light on trends that might save lives. Investigative reporter Lori Jane Gliha and investigative producer Brittany Freeman have read through thousands of pages of police documents, child fatality reports, autopsies, and court records.
Scripps News investigation finds NFL sideline collisions have resulted in broken bones

Feb 6, 2025 | scrippsnews.com | Lori Jane Gliha |Brittany Freeman

With only a few seconds left on the clock at last October’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Bob Ali-Carr, a volunteer security guard working the game, started to imagine the steak and lobster dinner he planned to eat later that evening.