Sarah Sweeney: Missouri fire captain's fiancee died at his home from fatal cocktail of drugs years after his ex-lover's death
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
WESTWOOD, MISSOURI: A lethal drug overdose claimed the life of a Missouri podiatrist who died unexpectedly in January 2024, less than three years after her fiance's former lover was also discovered dead under suspicious circumstances.
The Frontenac Police Department said that Sarah Sweeney, 39, died from oxycodone, gabapentin, and diphenhydramine intoxication. She was discovered dead at a house in the Westwood neighborhood of St Louis early on January 13.
The lethal drug cocktail that killed Sarah Sweeney
While diphenhydramine, which is frequently available over-the-counter under the brand name Benadryl, is used to treat allergy symptoms, gabapentin is an anticonvulsant, and oxycodone is a narcotic pain reliever.
Although Sarah Sweeney's mother, Teresa Sweeney Light, previously told Fox News Digital that she had health problems related to mast cell activation syndrome, it is not immediately clear if Sweeney took these medications regularly.
There were no overt indications of trauma on Sarah's body, and there is evidence that she was alone at home in the final hours before she died. However, Sweeney's manner of death is still unknown.
The update concluded, "Investigators are continuing to gather information; therefore, this case remains an active investigation." Public records stated that Sarah Sweeney was discovered dead at the house she shared with her fiance, a local fire captain named Robert Daus.
In July 2020, almost four years prior, Daus had alerted emergency personnel to his previous Creve Coeur address, claiming that his fiancee at the time, Grace Holland, had allegedly shot herself in the head in front of him. Holland, a mother of four children, was later found to have died by suicide.
Her family disagreed with the decision and filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Daus, claiming he was in charge of Holland's money and was threatening to break up with her.
Sweeney voiced concerns about Daus's troubled past when she moved in with him. She wrote, "I have had to move in with my boyfriend the ‘murderer’ [sic] which has been scary at times," in a March 2022 letter to DAnielle Mankunas, a former coworker and friend.
Sarah Sweeney's mom filed lawsuit against Robert Daus
Despite the financial and professional risks, Sweeney was trying to convince Mankunas to support her lawsuit against her former employer at the time.
When Sweeney died, the case was still pending. Sweeney Light told Fox that her relationship with Daus also led to her growing distance from her mother and stepfather.
The distraught mother revealed that although her loved ones had sent her articles regarding Daus's relationship with Holland, she eventually stopped responding.
“She was a grown adult, a doctor and a woman. We didn’t know what to do,” she said at the time.
Sweeney Light stated that the family had "complete confidence in the thorough investigation made by the St Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Frontenac Police Department" when contacted by The New York Post on Wednesday, March 6, morning.
She continued, "Our hope is to close this chapter of our lives so that we grieve, move on, and continue to honor the memory of our Sarah."
