Parents of Joseph Adonis, toddler who died of apparent drug poisoning, indicted on drug, child endangerment charges

The parents of a Holbrook toddler who died from apparent opioid poisoning earlier this month have been indicted on drug and weapons possession and child endangerment charges, authorities said Thursday as they decried the county’s opioid crisis.

“Young children are dying,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney at a Hauppauge news conference Thursday. “This is a crisis. We need to act.”

Joseph Adonis, who was one day shy of being 14 months old, died on Jan. 3 after he was found unresponsive in his home, said Tierney.

“Preliminary toxicology results for the child’s blood showed the presence of cocaine, fentanyl, morphine, a precursor chemical to fentanyl, a metabolite of fentanyl and a metabolite of cocaine,” said Tierney. “In that same bedroom where Joseph was found, Suffolk County police also found over ⅛ of an ounce of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, known as “fetty,” over ⅛ of an ounce of cocaine, alprazolam, which is also known as Xanax, drug packaging materials, two digital scales, an electric stun gun, and a loaded shotgun and a rifle." 

Joseph's parents — father Wilkens Adonis and mother Daryllee Leibrock, both 38 years old — each pleaded not guilty to 19-count indictments Thursday in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead. 

“Our police are finding fentanyl and other deadly narcotics in Suffolk County," Tierney said. "Every day they’re administering Narcan to revive Suffolk County residents who are overdosing.”

Wilkens Adonis’ attorney, Matthew Tuohy, said the child was the subject of a Family Court case due to the mother’s drug addiction issues.

“My client was doing well with taking care of the baby,” said Tuohy, adding his client consented to the search of his home and had no knowledge that there were drugs or a gun in the house.

“It wasn’t found on him, it was in the house,” Tuohy said of the firearms. “He consented to the search. He had nothing to hide."

Tuohy said the father is “distraught” at the death of his son.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, who attended Tierney’s news conference along with acting Police Commissioner Robert Waring, said he felt “tremendous sadness” at the child’s death.

“What does it say about a society that cannot protect its children from the ravages of this opioid and drug crisis that we find ourselves in?” Romaine said.

Someone from the home called 911 at about 8 a.m. on Jan. 3 and police found the child unresponsive, said Tierney. He was taken via ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Tierney said Joseph's preliminary cause of death is opioid poisoning.

Wilkens Adonis has not been charged with bail-eligible offenses in the case but he remains incarcerated on $50,000 cash bail on the warrant arrest. Acting Supreme Court Justice Philip Goglas set nominal bail of $1 cash so he gets credit in this case for his time behind bars.

Goglas increased bail for Leibrock to $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond or $2.5 million partially secured bond. She has been held on $100,000 cash, $200,000 bond or $1 million partially secured bond. Leibrock had been eligible for bail because of her second-degree criminal contempt charge related to her violating a stay away order related to Joseph as well as Wilkens Adonis’ 11-year-old son, who was also present in the apartment Jan. 3. 

Both Holbrook residents have been held in the Suffolk County jail on outstanding warrants since their Jan. 3 arrests.

Leibrock faces up to 9 years incarceration on the top charge of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, Assistant District Attorney Robert Archer said.

 She admitted to homicide detectives that she has a "$50-a-day cocaine habit” and the cocaine in the apartment belonged to her, Archer said. 

Leibrock’s court-appointed attorney, Steve Fondulis, of Center Moriches, said prosecutors told him the child’s autopsy results are still pending.

“I look forward to looking over the evidence,” Fondulis said outside court.

With Sandra Peddie and Caroline Curtin