Paul Auster's Granddaughter Had Enough Drugs To 'Render An Adult Unconscious'

The 10-month-old granddaughter of renowned Brooklyn author, Paul Auster, was found to have enough heroin and fentanyl in her system to “render an adult unconscious,” a prosecutor said.

The baby’s father, 44-year-old Daniel Auster, was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court Sunday.

According to the criminal complaint, Daniel told authorities that his wife had left home for work on Nov. 1, 2021, while he was at his Park Slope home with his daughter, Ruby. The father told authorities that he woke up from a nap in the afternoon to find Ruby “blue, lifeless and unresponsive,” according to the New York Post.

The father admitted to using heroin that day and told cops he gave his baby Narcan “in case I f–ked up,” Assistant District Attorney Tien Tran said Sunday at Daniel’s arraignment.

Narcan is a nasal spray used to reverse an opioid overdose.

Paramedics arrived at the apartment to find Ruby unconscious and unresponsive. The infant was pronounced dead at Methodist Hospital, police said.

Daniel was arrested Friday night and charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of a child in her death.

Ruby’s toxicology tests concluded that she died of acute heroin and fentanyl intoxication. No signs of bruising or trauma were found on the infant.

Tran said Sunday that medical examiners found enough drugs in Ruby’s body to “render an adult unconscious.”

Tran also said Ruby was alert and awake when her mother, Zuzan Smith, went to work on the day the infant overdosed. When Smith called at around 1 p.m., she heard the baby in the background, the prosecutor said. The accused father called 911 about four hours later at 4:26 p.m. before Ruby was found unconscious by paramedics.

Daniel was ordered by the judge to undergo psychiatric treatment. His bail was set at a $250,000 insurance bond or $100,000 in cash.

“This case is painfully tragic, and Mr. Auster remains devastated over the loss of his beloved daughter Ruby,” John Godfrey, senior staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society, told New York Daily in a statement. “Substance use disorder is an issue that countless families reel from each year, and we caution the public to refrain from making any rush to judgment and to respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time.”

Daniel is the son of the award-winning author, Paul Auster, who wrote “The New York Trilogy,” “The Book of Illusions,” and “Moon Palace.” Writer Lydia Davis is Daniel’s mother and Paul Auster’s first wife, whom he divorced in 1978.

Daniel had pleaded guilty over two decades ago to stealing from the body of drug dealer Andre “Angel” Melendez, who was killed infamously by his roommate Club Kid Michael Alig in 1996.

Authorities said Daniel was also arrested in 2008 and 2010 for drug possession and in 2009 for petty larceny and possession of a stolen property.