CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston police are looking for the person responsible for providing a pregnant woman with the heroin that lead to her overdose death.
Jennifer Rodgers, 26, died at a home in the 400 block of South Ruffner Road. She was six months pregnant.
“We see a lot of these overdose scenes, but this was worse than most just because she had been with child,” said Lt. Steve Cooper, chief of detectives with the Charleston Police Department, on Thursday’s “580 Live” on Charleston’s 580-WCHS.
Police said Rodgers was found dead in a bath tub Wednesday morning.
“She was deceased to the point where life saving measures would not have been effective,” Cooper said.
Investigators are now looking at the time frame between Rodgers’ discovery and the 911 call.
A man, who identified himself to police as Rodgers’ boyfriend and father of the baby, told police she wasn’t feeling well Tuesday night and then found her dead early Wednesday morning. But police said 911 wasn’t notified until 11:30 am. Wednesday by an acquaintance of the victim.
Cooper said federal prosecutors will get involved with the case to try to determine what happened between those two times.
“We will speak with the U.S. Attorney’s Office about filing charges. There’s a federal charge that carries a 20 year sentence for providing a drug that leads to the death of the user,” he said.
It’s possible the person who provided the fatal dose of heroin could be held responsible for Rodgers’ death and that of her unborn baby.
Cooper said police are also investigating whether or not the heroin was laced with fentanyl.