This Is What Happened To The 4-Year-Old In The Back Of That Tragic Heroin Pic

The city of East Liverpool, Ohio recently decided to share disturbing photos of two adults passed out in the front seats of an SUV from an apparent overdose.

These images, which were taken by police last Wednesday and posted on the city's Facebook page, gave people a firsthand look at the ongoing impact of the devastating heroin epidemic that's consumed the United States.

One of the most unsettling aspects of the images was the fact a 4-year-old boy was in the backseat.

The child has found a new home with a great-aunt and great-uncle in South Carolina, though, NBC News reports.

Rhonda Pasek, the woman in the images, who was initially thought to be the child's mother but is actually his grandmother, is currently in jail.

She pled not guilty to charges of public intoxication and endangering a child and is still in jail pending a court hearing on Thursday, according to USA TODAY.

Pasek was reportedly granted custody of the child just six weeks before this incident occurred.

James Acord, the driver, pled guilty to operating a vehicle while impaired and endangering a child and is serving 360 days in jail.

Some were not happy the city of East Liverpool decided to post the photos, particularly since the child's face was not blurred out.

But Brian Allen, the city's director of public services and safety, is not sorry for posting the images. In his view, the public must be exposed to the awful effects of heroin, which has become a problem nationwide.

Speaking with NBC News, Allen stated,

As a public official I can't blur public records and this photo is a public record. It's all or nothing for us. We're a government agency posting it. It's not like we can willy-nilly do what we want.

In 2014, deaths from drug overdoses reached an all-time high in the US, claiming the lives of over 47,000 people. According to the CDC, this was "mostly due" to opioid painkillers and heroin.

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