Onset Man Sentenced After Toddler Dies from Methadone

BROCKTON (WBSM) — An Onset man has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison after his toddler son died from exposure to methadone.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced that Donald Humes, 34, pleaded guilty in Brockton Superior Court today to one count of manslaughter and two counts of reckless endangerment of a child.

Humes was sentenced to two and a half years in the Plymouth County House of Correction. He must serve one year, with the balance suspended for two years. That will be followed by two years of probation, and Humes must remain drug and alcohol free with screenings.

Timeline of the Incident

The charges date back to April 24, 2022, when at about 4:34 p.m., Wareham Police received a 911 call from Humes stating his two-and-a-half-year-old son Cameron was unresponsive and not breathing. Police and emergency personnel responded to the Waban Avenue home, where they began performing life-saving procedures on Cameron. He was taken to Tobey Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

Medical Examiner Findings

The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined Cameron Humes’ death was the result of acute methadone intoxication.

Investigation Details

An investigation was conducted by Wareham Police and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. The investigation showed that Donald Humes was the only adult at home at the time of the incident, and was responsible for supervising the children when he knew there was methadone in the house. The D.A.’s Office said he also had culpability in failing to realize something was wrong with Cameron and that he was in need of medical attention.

Humes was indicted on the manslaughter charge by a Plymouth County grand jury in May 2024.