Mom, Grandma Charged in Teen's Heroin Overdose

The 16-year-old's body was found in an Ohio hotel
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 8, 2016 6:50 PM CDT
Mom, Grandma Charged in Teen's Heroin Overdose
Brenda and Heather Frye   (Akron Police Department)

The mother and grandmother of a teen who died from a suspected heroin overdose were charged in his death after authorities say they think the mom and her son had used the drug together, the AP reports. Syringes, illegal drugs, and drug paraphernalia were found in the Ohio hotel room where Andrew Frye, 16, was found dead in a chair Wednesday night, authorities say. Preliminary tests show Frye had heroin and possibly the prescription painkiller fentanyl in his system, according to a medical examiner. The teen had a history of heroin and drug abuse, the examiner's report says. Investigators say they believe Frye, his mother, and her friend used heroin together at the hotel. Authorities were investigating whether his grandmother bought the drugs.

The teen's mother, Heather Frye, and her mother, Brenda Frye, were charged with involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. Court records show both have a history of drug-related charges. The mother's friend was charged with tampering with evidence and drug possession. A man who lived with the grandmother was charged with heroin possession. Summit County Sheriff Steve Barry says the teen was dead well before authorities arrived at the hotel, and those who were with him had tried to hide needles and drugs. "The evidence in this case turns my stomach," Barry says. The sheriff says all four of those charged played a role in obtaining and providing the heroin to Frye before his death. (More heroin stories.)

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