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Husband Charged In Wife's Death |
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Thursday, 11 June 2009 |
By MIKE BURKHOLDER
Managing Editor
CELINA — A Celina man faces a slew of charges stemming from the death of his wife.
Brett Riley, 42, 428 E. Livingston St., faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter, first-degree and third-degree felonies, reckless homicide, a third-degree felony, corrupting another with drugs, a first-degree felony, and trafficking in drugs, a fourth-degree felony. The charges came as a result of an investigation into the death of his wife Michelle Riley, 36.
According to a news release issued by the Celina Police Department, the couple was found unresponsive in their home by their children Tuesday night. When emergency responders and officers arrived on the scene, they found Michelle Riley dead at the residence and Riley unresponsive, but breathing. Riley was taken to Coldwater Hospital and upon his dismissal Thursday morning, he was taken into custody by officers.
Celina Police Chief David Slusser told The Evening Leader Riley obtained a fentanyl patch and reportedly shared it with his wife. The couple chewed a portion of the patch — which is a powerful narcotic used for around-the-clock pain relief and often worn for up to 72 hours.
"(Riley) got it not by a prescription," Slusser said. "The concept of skin patch drugs is fairly new. It's just a cycle, as new things come out, people find new ways to abuse them."
Slusser said a court date has yet to be set for Riley. The case is expected to be presented in front of a Mercer County grand jury during its next session later this month.
The case is the fourth confirmed fentanyl death the department has investigated since 2005. Slusser said in two of the previous three cases, investigations have resulted in charges being filed against suspects.
According to Duragesic.com, rapid ingestion of fentanyl can result in an overdose that can be fatal as a result of hypoventilation — when ventilation cannot perform the necessary gas exchanges. Slusser said he believes people who use the drug are not aware of the deadly dangers behind it.
"People don't grasp that concept," Slusser said. "They look at this patch drug that attaches to the skin and does a slow release into their system. I think there is a false sense that it's not that strong, but when you take that medication that's supposed to last a few days and ingest it straight into their system, you have no control over how much of that drug hits your system."
Slusser called the case "a tragic example" of what can happen with drugs. The police chief said the case is more complex than a simple drug investigation.
"This is one of those tragic examples because we are looking at a family, an average, middle-income family and the devastation goes beyond a drug abuser who died from trying to use a recreational drug. The entire family is being ripped apart. You have children out a mother and a father charged in the death of the mother." |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 15 July 2009 )
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