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Wappingers Falls father charged in baby’s fentanyl-induced death

Dutchess County prosecutors said Thomas Martinez was arraigned on charges including criminally negligent homicide.

Blaise Gomez

Dec 3, 2025, 5:24 AM

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New York State Police say a Wappingers Falls father has been arrested following a lengthy homicide investigation into the 2020 death of his 10-month-old child.

Investigators say troopers were dispatched to a Creekview Court home on November 9, 2020, around 6:09 p.m., after Dutchess County 911 received a report of an unconscious infant. The child was taken to Vassar Brothers Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.

According to State Police, an autopsy by the Dutchess County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be acute fentanyl intoxication.

Officials say a five-year investigation — conducted alongside the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office — led to the arrest of the child’s father, 41-year-old Thomas E. Martinez, who they say was responsible for the child’s care at the time. Martinez is now charged with criminally negligent homicide, a class E felony.

Martinez was arraigned Tuesday in Village of Wappingers Falls Court and is scheduled to return on January 6, 2026, according to police.

State Police say the investigation remains active.

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