OAKLAND TWP., Pa. (EYT) – Murder charges have been filed against an area woman after her two-year-old son ingested fentanyl and died. The child’s grandfather has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
According to court documents, State Police in Franklin filed the following criminal charges against 20-year-old Stevie Nicole Goreczny, of Cooperstown, in Magisterial District Judge Andrew F. Fish’s office on Thursday, September 28:
– Murder of the Third Degree, Felony 1
– Involuntary Manslaughter, Felony 2
– Endangering the Welfare of Children – Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense, Felony 2
Court documents also indicate that PSP Franklin filed the following charges against 64-year-old Stanley S. Goreczny, of Cooperstown:
– Involuntary Manslaughter, Felony 2
– Endangering the Welfare of Children – Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense
The charges stem from an investigation that began on July 8, 2022, conducted by Franklin-based State Police.
State Police Dispatched to UPMC Northwest for Deceased Toddler
According to a criminal complaint filed on September 28, 2022, PSP Franklin was contacted on July 8, 2022, around 8:32 a.m. by the UPMC Northwest Hospital medical staff located at 100 Fairfield Drive, in Cranberry Township, Venango County, in relation to an unresponsive two-year-old male child victim who was taken there. It was learned that the child’s mother, Stevie Goreczny, and her father, Stanley Goreczny, rushed the child to UPMC Northwest Hospital around 5:39 a.m. It was also learned that shortly after their arrival, doctors pronounced the child deceased, and the two individuals had left the hospital a short time later (at approximately 7:01 a.m.), had not returned, and medical personnel were unable to contact them.
Police Locate Child’s Mother, Grandfather
PSP Franklin located both individuals at Stanley’s mother’s residence on Harriot Avenue in Oil City for an interview. Stevie was interviewed in front of Stanley in the kitchen of the residence. Stevie related that her son’s birthday was on July 7 and that he turned two years old. Stevie indicated she has resided at a house on Creek Road in Oakland Township, Venango County, with her father since approximately October of 2021.
Police Interview Stevie Goreczny
She indicated that on July 7, they were at the house located on Creek Road and hadn’t left for days. She said (the victim) was cutting more teeth, so he was fussy. She also related that she thought he had a cold, and this has been his symptoms for approximately three to four days. She related (the victim) had a fever “that comes and goes.” She also said her son’s (the victim’s) birthday was his best day as he was running around and happy. She indicated then that he didn’t have a fever all day. Stevie was asked if her child had any medical issues, and she related that he had no medical issues and then she stated “they told me he was always healthy.” Stevie then stated, “I wish I would have taken him to the doctor, but I didn’t think he needed to go.” Stevie indicated she thought he was getting better, according to the complaint.
The officer asked Stevie if (the victim) went to the doctor on a regular basis, and she said “I did (take him) at the beginning but because of Covid I didn’t want him around other people getting sick.” Stevie didn’t know what doctor the victim saw in the past. Stevie related (the victim) had not napped on his birthday, and he fell asleep on the couch in the back living roon inside the residence at 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The officer asked Stevie if the victim ever woke up during the night, and she stated “no,” but she said, “I heard him breathe. I checked on him frequently,” according to the complaint.
She indicated Stanley was sleeping in the recliner next to the victim when she found him. Stevie related (the victim) was covered up with a blanket, and there were knitted blankets beside him. She related the victim’s head was kind of tilted to the right; he was sitting but kind of leaning backward. She related she noticed (the victim) wasn’t breathing when she woke up to use the bathroom at approximately 5:00 a.m. She stated, “I had this bad feeling, and I don’t know why.” The officer asked Stevie if there was a reason that she had a bad feeling, and she stated, “No, I just wanted to check on my son,” the complaint states.
Stevie related that when she checked on (the victim), to her knowledge, he was not breathing but still warm to the touch. She related he was still warm when she took him to the doctor. Stevie related she and Stanley left immediately for the hospital when she realized the victim was limp and not responding. Stevie related she administered CPR in the car on the way to the hospital while Stanley drove his car, according to the complaint.
The officer asked Stevie if the victim was around any dangerous substances prior to him sleeping on the couch, and she stated, “nothing at all,” the complaint indicates.
The officer asked Stevie to leave the room, so he could talk to Stanley alone.
Stanley Goreczny Interviewed
The officer asked Stanley if Stevie does drugs, and he didn’t know. The officer asked if Stevie is dating (a known 38-year-old Oil City man), and he stated she is friends with him. It was noted that (the known 38-year-old Oil City man) is a known drug user/dealer in Venango County with multiple warrants out for his arrest, including dangerous drug-related warrants. Stanley related the known man was not at his house on that night, the complaint indicates.
The officer asked Stanley if he knows what happened to the victim. He related he thinks the victim puked and choked on his own vomit. Stanley indicated the victim has spit and vomit coming from his mouth when they found him at 5:00 a.m. unresponsive. The officer advised Stanley that the purge coming from the victim’s mouth, as he describe it, could be indicative of a drug overdose. Stanley stated, “It is not,” the complaint states.
The officer then asked Stanley if Stevie was at his house all night, and he stated “she never left that I know of.” The officer asked Stanley if Stevie was “on anything “ right now. He related antibiotics for an infection. It was noted that Stevie appeared to be impaired on some sort of drug when the officer was speaking to her earlier. The officer asked Stanley if he dropped Stevie at (the known 38-year-old Oil City man’s) house recently and he stated no, later to find out he dropped her off at the known man’s residence after they left the hospital, according to the complaint.
Venango County Coroner Provides PSP With Toxicology Report on August 9
On August 9, 2022 around 10:00, the Venango County Coroner, Christina Rugh, arrived at PSP Franklin station with the toxicology report result of the victim.
The following information is the listed positive findings for the victim’s cardiac blood:
1) Fentanyl 2.2/mg/ml.
2) Nortfentanyl 2.2/mg/ml.
3) Creatinine (Vitreous Fluid) 1.08 mg/dL
4) Sodium (Vitreous Flyud/ 126/mmol/L
5) Potassium (Vitreous Fluid) 21.2/mmol/L
6) Chloride (Vitreous Fluid) 99.8/mmol/L
7) Urea Nitrogen (Vitreous Fluid) 23.0/mg/dL
Preliminary information received from the Venango County Coroner is that the victim’s death will be listed as a Fentanyl Drug Toxicity death, due to the Toxicology finding in the NMS Lab report.
Stevie Goreczny Interviewed at Venango County Prison on August 11
On August 11, 2022, around 1:55 p.m. Stevie Goreczny was interviewed at the Venango County Prison.
According to the complaint, the interview started off by Stevie being asked to take the officer through the process of events that took place leading up to the victim’s death. The officer and Stevie spoke about July 7th being the victim’s birthday. Stevie then stated “I was using heroin before his birthday.” Stevie related that on the victim’s birthday, (the known 38-year-old Oil City man), and she went to the Dollar General in Oil City across from Union Street to get (the victim’s) birthday presents.
Stevie related the victim was with Stanley at the Creek Road address. She related they drove home and gave (the victim) his presents. Stevie then indicated there is a video on her phone of this. She related there is also a video on her phone “of his breathing that I have.” Stevie related they didn’t celebrate the victim’s birthday on his birthday because they were going to celebrate the following day. She related they didn’t do much of anything on the victim’s birthday. She related (the known 38-year-old Oil City man) left her house around 3:00 p.m., the complaint states.
Goreczny Allegedly Admits to Using Heroin & Fentanyl
Stevie indicated she never used drugs around her son. She didn’t know if she used drugs on the victims birthday, but “she is sure she did.” Stevie allegedly admitted to using heroin and fentanyl on a regular basis. She admitted to using any drug she could get her hands on, but she preferred heroin, fentanyl, and meth. The officer asked Stevie if she used MDMA (Ecstasy) The officer spoke of it being in her drug screen. She related she “didn’t purposely use it.” She related the heroin is usually laced with fentanyl. The officer then talked about the victim’s toxicology and how the victim only had fentanyl in his system. The officer asked Stevie how she thought this happened, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, the officer asked Stevie if she ever saw fentanyl at Stanley’s house before, and she said “yes.” She indicated it was a powder form and that she hasn’t ever seen it in any other form. She related she sees fentanyl come in stamp bags baggies, folds of paper, money, and lottery tickets. The officer asked Stevie when the last time she saw fentanyl at Stanley’s house. She stated: “I am sure I probably did see it on his birthday, but I don’t remember. I think I seen it on his birthday.” The officer asked who brought it, and she indicated it was already there. The officer asked who’s it was. She stated: “I think I had a little bit, but I didn’t lose mine.” She then stated: “I know I had a little bit, and it was powder.” She then didn’t know if it was just fentanyl. She related it “was probably in a baggie or stamp bag on my person.” Stevie related it is fair to say that there are dangerous illegal drugs at Stanley’s house on a daily basis. Stevie then indicated the fentanyl could have been Stanley’s. She related it could have been (the known 38-year-old Oil City man), but she didn’t think so. She related she didn’t think (the known 38-year-old Oil City man) even went inside the house. When the officer questioned Stevie about it possibly being Stanley’s fentanyl, she became emotional because she didn’t want to get her dad in trouble.
She did indicate that (the known 38-year-old Oil City man) has had fentanyl at the house before but not on her son’s birthday, and that he was at Stanley’s house “probably the day before.” She related they were together nearly every day. The officer and Stevie then talked about when she found the victim unresponsive on the couch.
PSP Asks Goreczny If She Thought Her Son Ingested a Dangerous Drug
The officer asked Stevie if the thought ever crossed her mind that her son may have grabbed a dangerous illicit substance like fentanyl, heroin, or meth, and ingested it. She stated: “I didn’t know. I was scared. It was a thought,” the complaint states.
The officer asked her what she thought it was. Stevie started to talk about how Stanley misplaced a container of fentanyl or heroin less than a month before the victim’s birthday. She related Stanley didn’t think he lost it; he thought he put it somewhere and couldn’t find it. She didn’t know if it even had been found yet. Stevie related she didn’t misplace anything. She related she keeps her drugs in a safe that she had at the house. The officer advised her that he didn’t see a safe when he was at the scene taking photographs. She related the safe is not there now, but it was there the night of the victim’s birthday, and it would have been in her room. She related it was a safe that (the known 38-year-old Oil City man) gave her and she gave it back to him. She related that Stanley kept his drugs “somewhere else.” When the officer asked her where, she related he kept them up high in the bathroom in either a fixture or in his bedroom in a drawer. The officer asked her if her son could climb up on things like desks or chairs, and she related he could. Stevie related she doesn’t know how the victim came into contact with the fentanyl. She stated: “There is a chance it was mine, and there is a chance it was my dad’s.” The officer asked what Stanley would tell the officers, and she said whatever he remembers, according to the complaint.
Gorenczyn States Fentanyl Was Supplied by Known 38-year-old Oil City Man
When Stevie was asked where she got her fentanyl, she stated (the known 38-year-old Oil City man). The officer asked Stevie if it was safe to say that the fentanyl that killed her son was either her fentanyl or Stanley’s fentanyl and that the fentanyl was supplied by (the known 38-year-old Oil City man), and Stevie said “yes,” according to the complaint.
Charges were filed against both Stevie Goreczny and Stanley Goreczny on Wednesday, September 28.
On Friday, September 30, at 11:20 a.m., Stanley Goreczny was arraigned in front of Judge Fish.
He is lodged in the Venango County Jail with bail denied.
The bail action reason is stated: Severity of Charges.
According to court documents, preliminary hearings for both defendants are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 12, in Venango County Central Court with Judge Fish presiding.
Editor’s Note: As of Monday night, October 3, 2022, charges have not been filed against the 38-year-old Oil City man.
