Dallas/ Crime & Emergencies
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Published on May 22, 2024
Denton Woman Charged with Murder in Fentanyl-Laced Overdose DeathSource: City of Denton, Texas

A Denton woman is behind bars, slapped with a Murder charge in connection to a fentanyl-laced death. The Denton Police Department swooped in and arrested Ryan Michelle Warner, 45, on Tuesday after their probe into a man's overdose led them to her door.

Back in March, cops found Shaun Cross, 38, unresponsive in a makeshift camp on Brinker Road, where he was pronounced dead, officials said. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office cited fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity as the killers, and through painstaking detective work, evidence pointed to Warner as the supplier of the deadly mix. The City of Denton Jail now counts her among its residents, and her bail status is pending, according to the City of Denton, Texas.

This arrest marks Denton's fourth such case following a hard-hitting new state law that brands those who peddle fentanyl that ends in tragedy as murderers. The legislation, which turned a year old last September, aims to clamp down on the opioid epidemic slamming Texas and the nation.