Five-year-old victim of Bellingham's fentanyl crisis is pictured for the first time

Pictured in the arms of the mother now charged with her murder, this is the youngest victim of 'hippie town' Bellingham's fentanyl crisis – seen four years before she died alone in the dark, while foaming at the mouth. 

DailyMail.com can now reveal the little girl's name was Olivia Doane, and that her father Michael Doane, 33, and her mother's boyfriend Cody Craig, 32, have also been charged with murder over her death.

The toddler's tragic overdose comes amid a drastic spike in fentanyl-related deaths  in the Washington town in the last year that has since sparked calls to outlaw public drug use two years after statewide decriminalization took effect.   

At the time of Olivia's death, Craig was already under investigation for running a drug ring in Whatcom County and is described in court papers as a 'mid-level drug dealer'.

Five-year-old Olivia Doane - pictured in her mother Melissa Welch's arms, alongside older sister Kendall, now eight, in 2019 - died on March 8 after ingesting fentanyl at her Bellingham, Washington home 

Welch's  boyfriend Cody Craig, 32, (left) and Olivia's father, Michael Doane, 33, have been charged with the young girl's first-degree murder alongside her

In a revolting twist, both Craig and the girl's mother Melissa Welch, 35, continued to run their illegal operation in the weeks after Olivia died before being arrested while selling narcotics in a Bellingham suburb a month later. 

A neighbor, who gave his name as Shane, said he had been about to begin CPR on Olivia before realizing she had already been dead for hours when she was discovered cold in her bed at 9am on March 8.

He added: 'I used to see her come by all the time and she would always say 'Hi Shane'.'

'I can't forget what happened. Now all I want is to see her come by. I can't get it out of my head.'

The cream-painted property where Olivia died is now locked and papered with orange public health warnings alerting visitors to fentanyl contamination within – in stark contrast to the red Valentines stickers still plastered over Olivia's bedroom window.

Welch, Craig and Doane are locked up in the Whatcom County Jail in Bellingham while Doane's girlfriend Journee Markuson, 28, has not been charged despite being at the trailer home at the time, and being an addict herself according to her mother Teena, 68.

Meanwhile, Olivia's older sister Kendall, eight, who was in the trailer home in Ferndale, 10 miles north of Bellingham, when her sibling died, has been sent to live with her uncle and aunt in Blaine, Washington.

Michael Welch, 40, told DailyMail.com he is struggling with what happened to his niece, describing it as a 'tough time'.

Welch and Craig are accused of continuing to run their alleged illegal operation in the weeks after Olivia died before being arrested while selling narcotics a month later

Olivia was found alone in the dark and foaming at the mouth at her home on March 8. Police say all three suspects were at the property when she died and had all used fentanyl 

Valentine-theme stickers were still plastered over the young girl's bedroom window when DailyMail.com visited the scene last week 

The property is now locked up, with bright orange public health warnings tacked on the doors, alerting visitors to fentanyl contamination within 

He added: 'I didn't see her for the last three years because I was trying to keep my kids away from it [drugs]. It all f***ing sucks,' he said. 

Olivia's paternal grandfather Leif Doane, 60, said he has been left devastated by the little girl's death but said he is also worried for his son – who he says was not at the home at the time of her death and is anguished over being charged with her murder.

He said: 'I know my son. He wasn't there at the time. Imagine losing your daughter and then being accused of her murder.

'He swears up and down he wasn't there. My granddaughter was like my daughter. I spent a lot of time with her.'

Although she is the youngest victim of fentanyl in the area, Olivia is far from alone in losing her life to drugs in liberal mecca Bellingham.

A town of 90,000 people famous for its historic downtown, woke public signage and lush parks, the city has become a battleground in Washington State's fight against drugs over the past three years.

In 2018, Bellingham was named 'the most hippie town in Washington' by OnlyInYourState.com. It was a title local media bragged about but it opened the door for deregulation, which has led to crime spikes and drug casualties. 

Callouts for overdoses are running at an average 2.3 per day, according to the most recent city figures, while crime driven by drugs and homelessness has soared, forcing the city to take action. 

Officials are now working on banning the consumption of drugs in public and increasing outreach programs, while stores downtown have hired a phalanx of security guards to protect their businesses.

The liberal city – whose picturesque neighborhoods and coastal areas are now sites for rough sleepers and public drug use – has become a battleground in Washington State's fight against drugs over the past three years

When DailyMail.com visited the city last week vagrants could be seen snoozing outside city landmarks such as the Hotel Leo and lines of decrepit RVs were parked up close to the port 

Drug users were seen openly smoking narcotics at parks, sidewalks, and parking lots 

But despite their efforts, when DailyMail.com visited rough sleepers could be seen snoozing outside city landmarks such as the Hotel Leo, lines of decrepit RVs were parked up close to the port and drug users were seen openly smoking narcotics just a few blocks from City Hall. 

Part of the problem is Washington State's relatively relaxed drug law which criminalizes possession only on the third arrest – and even then, punishes it with a maximum fine of $1,000 or 90 days in jail. 

A town of 90,000 people famous for its historic downtown and lush parks, Bellingham has become a battleground in Washington State's fight against drugs over the past three years

That law is due to expire on July 1 at which point drug use would effectively be decriminalized unless a replacement is pushed through by lawmakers in the state capital, Olympia.

Whether that will happen remains in doubt after a bill that would have made drug possession a gross misdemeanor punishable by a $5,000 fine and a year in jail was voted down last month.

But while politicians wrangle, the state's drug crisis continues to explode with Bellingham and Whatcom County in the eye of the storm.

According to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Department, fentanyl was seized by deputies over 559,000 times in 2022 – a 290 per cent increase on 2021 which itself saw a 600 per cent increase on seizures in 2020.

As a result, overdose deaths went up by a third to 89 in 2022, compared to 50 in 2021, while the first three months of this year alone saw the deaths of Olivia and high schooler Emily Halasz, 15, who was found dead of a drug overdose in a homeless encampment set up behind Home Depot that was finally demolished last week.

Associated crime has also increased, with the Bellingham Police Department's log showing they were called out 30 times on Thursday alone – mainly for theft, behavioral problems and drug possession.

Officials in the city say they saw a near-immediate uptick in crime and public drug use in 2021, after the state Supreme Court struck down a state law that made simple drug possession a felony

The state's relaxed drug laws - which criminalizes possession only on the third arrest – and even then, punishes it with a maximum fine of $1,000 or 90 days in jail – has seen public drug use become commonplace 

There is now a growing homeless population in Bellingham's historic downtown, with open air drug use being practiced at all hours of the day 

'The widespread availability of fentanyl throughout all parts of Whatcom County represents nothing less than a deadly scourge that has impacted too many individuals and families,' Sheriff Bill Elfo said

Earlier this week, cops arrested Derrick Brown, 31, after he was caught masturbating in a public toilet while other callouts in the past seven days include homeless people spending hours locked in the bathrooms of big box stores such as WinCo and multiple incidences of shoplifting.

WCSO now has five deputies devoted to dealing with the issue full time, with Sheriff Bill Elfo telling DailyMail.com: 'The widespread availability of fentanyl throughout all parts of Whatcom County represents nothing less than a deadly scourge that has impacted too many individuals and families. 

'The Sheriff's Office remains committed to using all tools at its disposal to disrupt the activities of those who manufacture, transport, or are in any way involved in the distribution or sale of this drug.

'Towards that end, our Gang and Drug Task Force continues to collaborate and work in close concert with federal law enforcement, especially the DEA and HSI.'

Just last month, the WCSO and the DEA busted a drug gang – including three people living in Bellingham – that was trafficking vast quantities of fentanyl from Seattle for sale in the town.

But of all the deaths caused by the drug, Olivia's is among the most senseless. Speaking to DailyMail.com, Darryl Johnston, who manages the trailer park where she lived, described how she had been let down by the adults around her – and described her death as 'heartbreaking'.

Earlier this month, authorities shared photos of a drug bust during which three Bellingham residents and three from outside of town were indicted for trafficking fentanyl in Whatcom County 

Her parents had 11 previous convictions between them, with Welch's rap sheet including repeated incidences of drug possession and one for stealing from her mother 'while coming down off heroin.'

Drug dealer Craig, meanwhile, has a record that stretches back to 2004 and a count of 'vehicle prowling' while more recent convictions include theft and drug dealing.

Despite all that, Johnston said Olivia had appeared to be a happy little girl with parents who seemed friendly – although Craig was described as 'a two-time loser'.

He added: 'You wouldn't have thought anything was going on but on the day she died, all the adults were outside crying.

'Her mother was so gone, she had to hand the phone over to a neighbor because she couldn't remember the address.'

Johnston, who said all four adults were regularly seen coming and going at all hours of the day and night, added: 'It's all drugs. I had an idea that someone would die in that house but always an adult – I never thought it would be a child. It's a tragedy.'