Allyson Sheffield: Minnesota drug seller charged with murder after teen overdoses on fentanyl
DULUTH, MINNESOTA: A Minnesota woman is reportedly facing murder charges in the fentanyl-overdose death of a teenager in June 2023.
Allyson Sheffield, 20, has been charged with third-degree murder for the death of an 18-year-old woman over the summer, police in Duluth said, according to a press release.
Allyson Sheffield was a drug-seller
Allyson Sheffield’s arrest stems from the police investigation into the teen’s (whose name is not identified) fatal overdose that occurred on June 18. "A blue M30 pill and a baggie with crushed blue powder were located and seized, and it was determined the pill and powder contained traces of fentanyl,” the police statement said in the press release.
“An autopsy was done on the 18-year-old female, and it revealed that her death was attributed to fentanyl toxicity.” The investigation led officers to Sheffield, who allegedly “delivered the pills to the individual the evening before her death,” the statement said.
Sheffield is also believed to be selling drugs to “multiple other individuals” throughout the city of Duluth. According to jail records, Sheffield was also hit with a felony charge of selling drugs, in addition to the murder charge.
Minnesota witnessed 1,356 drug overdose deaths in 2021
Minnesota court records indicate that Sheffield was convicted of speeding, a misdemeanor, before her arrest for murder. According to the most recent CDC data available, Minnesota witnessed 1,356 drug overdose deaths in 2021.
One synthetic opioid that is thought to play a significant role in drug overdose deaths in the United States is fentanyl. A search warrant on the victim's Facebook account revealed, per court filings, that she was corresponding with Sheffield on June 17 and requested if she could "front one"—that is, give her a fentanyl tablet until she could pay Sheffield later.
Sheffield agreed, and the victim requested three. The pills were allegedly delivered to the victim’s home mailbox, as per reports.
Sheffield sent the victim a message that read, “Yeah, just be careful,” to which the victim responded, “Always.”
According to the police department’s review of Facebook conversations, Sheffield was regularly selling pills to the victim. Judge Nicole Hopps set bail at $150,000. Sheffield’s next court appearance is scheduled for January 22, 2024.
