HAYS COUNTY, Texas – An 18-year-old man was arrested in the death of a Hays CISD high school student who overdosed on fentanyl last month, according to the Hays County Sheriff’s Office.
Jaquell Desean Ray was charged on Monday with murder, a first-degree felony, in the April 11 death of a Lehman High School student, HCSO said in a news release on Wednesday.
He was initially charged with delivery of a controlled substance or marijuana to a minor, a second-degree felony, on the date of the student’s death.
Authorities said that in the early morning of April 11, they responded to a home in Kyle and found a 15-year-old student unresponsive.
Paramedics performed life-saving measures but the victim was pronounced dead.
“The preliminary investigation indicated the victim’s death was caused by an accidental drug overdose, specifically Fentanyl,” the news release states. “Presumptive testing during the autopsy conducted by the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office showed positive presumptive results for Fentanyl.”
Authorities believe Ray sold the victim the lethal dose of fen, the release states.
His bond is set at $400,000 and he is being held in the Hays County Jail.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact HCSO at 512-393-7896 or Zach.Piatt@co.hays.tx.us. To submit an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip, call 1-800-324-TIPS or visit P3tips.com.
The 15-year-old’s fatal overdose is the latest in the string of fentanyl deaths in Hays CISD. Records show there were at least 16 overdoses in the Kyle area last year, of which seven resulted in deaths.
Kyle police and HCSO have since warned parents about the increase of fentanyl availability and overdoses. Narcan, if administered properly and quickly enough, can help reverse a fentanyl overdose.
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