CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A Kane woman is facing an involuntary manslaughter charge after allegedly supplying a man with drugs that killed him.
Samantha Gustafson, 30, was charged after police were called to a residence in DuBois for reports that a man that was unresponsive. When police arrived, they spoke with the man’s father, who told them that he found his son on the bathroom floor, unresponsive.
Police determined the victim to be dead and the Clearfield County Coroner was called to the scene. During investigation, police noted that there were drug paraphrenia items such as tin foil with burnt residue and a rolled up dollar bill found in the residence near the bathroom. Police also found a piece of paper with a white powder substance on it, according to the criminal complaint.
Resource officer weighs in on cell phone use during emergencies Police then spoke with the man’s father, who said that a woman that he didn’t know had allegedly spent the night with his son but left early in the morning, before he discovered his son. He also said that his son had allegedly been dating the woman.
The victim’s phone was also found at the house, and when police searched it they found text messages from a person named “Sammy G,” according to the complaint. Police noted that they were able to determine the number belonged to Gustafson.
The messages indicated that Gustafson and the man had met on April 17 around 11:30 p.m., according to the charges.
On April 18, police were able to identify the woman that had spent the night with the man. It is important to note that this woman was not Gustafson, although they did allegedly meet the same night.
The woman told police that she did stay the night with the man on April 17 and that prior to returning to his residence, he allegedly asked her to drive them to a location on SR 255. She said that she noticed the man’s phone allegedly read “Sammy G was close by.” The man then asked her to stop and he got out of the vehicle for about ten minutes. After he returned they went back to his residence, according to the complaint.
She claimed that once they returned, the man went into the bathroom and when he returned he was “sluggish and nodding off,” police noted in the charges. The woman told police that she had to leave early in the morning, so the man set an alarm for the next day, April 18.
When the alarm went off on April 18, the man allegedly went back into the bathroom. The woman said she could hear the water running and that she tried waiting for him to come back out but eventually had to leave.
On April 18, police began texting Gustafson pretending to be the man. During the text conversation, police were able to confirm that the man had paid $140 for drugs on April 18 and that Gustafson was allegedly buying more drugs. Gustafson allegedly agreed to meet to sell $200 in illegal substances, according to the complaint.
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When Gustafson tried to meet the victim, she was taken into custody by police. When interviewed, she allegedly admitted to selling the man$140 worth of heroin the previous night, police noted in the charges.
On April 19, an autopsy was performed on the man, which showed an overdose on a concentration of Fentanyl. The cause of death was determined to be a Fentanyl overdose.
Gustafson is now facing a felony charge of drug delivery resulting in death, a felony charge of manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, a misdemeanor charge of involuntary manslaughter and a criminal use of communication facility.
She is being held in the Clearfield County Prison after being denied bail due to the nature of her charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13.
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