Authorities: Texas Teen Charged in Deaths of High School Seniors Who Had Fentanyl in Systems

Two Texas high school seniors who were discovered dead this month had fentanyl in their system, according to a toxicology report, and a 19-year-old suspect has been arrested and charged for allegedly supplying drugs to the teens, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) has announced.

A toxicology report has revealed that 17-year-old Grant Blodgett and 18-year-old Irene Sunderland both had fentanyl in their systems when they were found dead at a residence on Stanwick Place in The Woodlands on May 5, the MCSO said in a release. Prior to the autopsies, the MCSO believed their deaths were the result of overdoses, the release noted.

An investigation has led to the arrest of Abdulbaaith Abiodun Adewale, 19, on “two charges of manufacture or delivery of controlled substance causing death or serious bodily injury,” according to the release. Online inmate records show he was booked on May 12 and is being held on a $150,000 bond.

An arrest warrant said Blodgett and Sunderland — both of whom attended Woodlands High School and were in a romantic relationship together — were discovered dead by Sunderland’s mother in a bedroom where drugs were present, KHOU reported. According to the document, Sunderland’s mother intended to bring her daughter to rehab that day as both the teenagers have had years-long struggles with drug addiction.

“Definitely shocking there for a minute. I was like, wow it’s just crazy,” a student who knew the victims told KHOU.

In the warrant, authorities asserted that evidence procured from the victims’ cell phones brought them to Adewale, according to KHOU. He allegedly sent texts saying the same heroin killed another person.

“Investigators believe Adewale knew the drugs he gave them ‘could and would likely kill them,'” the outlet noted. 

Woodland High School graduate Hayden Cloud took a history class with Adewale during their freshman year together and said the defendant “was a nice kid.”

“It’s crazy how someone’s life can just change so quickly,” Cloud continued. 

The victims’ classmates will graduate on May 23, according to the Woodlands High School website. Sunderland’s obituary states that she planned to attend Drexler University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to study fashion merchandising, while Blodgett’s said he “was planning on attending Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX,” to study history. 

In the release, Sheriff Rand Henderson emphasized that Adewale’s arrest is “an example of the recent law passed by the Texas Legislature that allows us to charge those who provide illegal narcotics that cause the death of our citizens.”

“Let this be a warning to those who sell illicit narcotics: Montgomery County Law Enforcement is committed to finding you and holding you accountable not only for the selling of illicit narcotics but for the deaths that occur,” he added.