ST. LOUIS – After pleading guilty exactly one month ago, a St. Louis man appeared in court Thursday to be sentenced for the death of his one-year-old son.

According to court documents, the child’s mother returned home from work on March 2, 2023, and called a hospital when she found her child, Syn’cere Smith, unresponsive.

Syn’cere Smith was later pronounced at the hospital. A medical evaluation determined the child had ingested fentanyl, which caused him to die.

Investigators said the child was left alone with his father, Demetrius L. Smith.

Authorities interviewed Demetrius, who admitted to taking fentanyl in the vicinity of his child on March 1, 2023.

Police located Demetrius in November 2023 and found him in position of a 9mm pistol and fentanyl.

Demetrius had pleaded guilty on July 28, 2025, to first-degree manslaughter for his son’s death and unlawful use and possession of a weapon, drug possession, stealing a firearm, and resisting arrest for the November 2023 incident.

He’d originally made an agreement with prosecutors for long-term drug treatment while in prison, but the state probation officer deemed Demetrius ineligible due to prior violent offenses.

As a result, the judge overseeing the case sentenced Smith to five years in state prison. Smith did not make a statement in court prior to sentencing.