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Mother Stephanie Alvarado Sentenced After Daughter Dies From Drinking Water With Meth In It

(CBS4) - A woman from Rifle will spend 32 years in prison for the death of her 5-year-old daughter. Stephanie Alvarado was sentenced for the 2019 crime on Friday, according to the The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction.

Sophia Larson
Sophia Larson (credit: Alec Larson)

Sophia Larson died after she unknowingly drank water mixed with methamphetamine and overdosed. Alvarado waited more than 3 hours before calling 911 to get help, saying she was fearful of losing custody. Authorities said it's unlikely she would have faced such a harsh sentence had she reported the overdose right away.

Stephanie Alvarado
Stephanie Alvarado (credit: Garfield County)

The Daily Sentinel reported that several relatives of the victim spoke at Friday's sentencing hearing and described being shocked by Larson's death.

"All family members connected to Sophia were clearly devastated by the loss of a child who made a memorable impression on everyone she met in her short life," the DA's office said in a news release.

Two other adults, Daniel Bello Alvarado and Karina Ceballos-Romo, who were allegedly there at the time of Larson's death are also facing charges.

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