Grandmother suspected in baby methadone overdose case

Police: Woman supplied methadone to baby's mother

JANESVILLE, Wis. — Janesville police say the grandmother of a 13-month-old girl was arrested for supplying the methadone her daughter gave the baby when she overdosed and died.

Tina M. Strommen, 51, of Beloit, was arrest Monday on suspicion of reckless homicide. It’s the same charge as her daughter, Tallie Strommen, 23, is facing for the death of K’myah Strommen in December.

Tallie Strommen told Janesville detectives she allegedly gave her daughter a portion of a methadone pill on Dec. 26 at a residence on North Atwood Avenue in Janesville.

Beloit police said the baby died overnight. Tallie Strommen found the baby and called 911 at 9:30 a.m.

According to the criminal complaint, Tallie Strommen tried to get the baby to go to sleep by biting a piece of a methadone tablet off and giving it to the baby.

Janesville police said Tina Strommen got the methadone pills with a prescription and gave the pills to her daughter.

“We knew there were other folks involved, because the mother didn’t have a prescription for methadone,” Lt. Keith Lawver said.

Strommen’s ex-boyfriend and the father of her oldest daughter, Chad Edl, said this isn’t at all like the woman he knows.

“She wouldn’t try to intentionally hurt somebody. I know what she did is totally wrong, but when I first heard it, it was a shock,” Edl said. “She’s trying to do the best she can with three kids. I would never expect her to do nothing like this.”

Strommen had been staying at the apartment they were in for one night, and has no stable address. Police said she admitted to giving the baby methadone.