Two arrested in Shoreline on suspicion for drug overdose death in Mountlake Terrace

Mountlake Terrace police and Snohomish County sheriffs arrested a man and a woman Wednesday, May 6, in Shoreline for suspicion of controlled substance homicide after three people in Mountlake Terrace overdosed from a mixture of cocaine and fentanyl. One man died from the overdose while the other two were resuscitated.

Bail was set at $200,000 each. The suspects were released on May 8 because county prosecutors “did not file charges by the in-custody filing deadline,” a Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson said.

According to county court documents, Mountlake Terrace officers were dispatched to a home on 57th Avenue West around 11:10 p.m. on Friday, May 1. Three people had overdosed on what they thought was cocaine. Two survived and were taken to Swedish Medical Center in Edmonds. The other was pronounced dead at the scene.

Earlier that evening, one of the survivors had arranged to buy cocaine – an ‘eight ball’ (3.5 grams) and two grams – from a seller around 9:30 p.m. at the former Rogers Market parking lot in Mountlake Terrace, court documents said. 

The survivor told investigators she had bought the drugs from the dealer three or four times before, but this time, she noticed that the drugs “tasted funky and not like regular coke,” according to court documents. One person went to the bathroom, vomited and collapsed; another performed CPR and later collapsed. One remaining person tried to retrieve Narcan and called 911 before she collapsed.

Detectives interviewed multiple witnesses over the following days. Accounts were largely consistent: The group had pooled resources to buy cocaine, believed the drugs were legitimate, and had no idea fentanyl was involved.

The Snohomish County Drug Task Force obtained a video from a witness, identifying the male suspect who sold the drugs. Court documents said investigators linked a vehicle registered to the suspect that was allegedly used to transport drugs and firearms, noting that it was driven by a female suspect. In the video, the male suspect said the female suspect had given the buyers a bag of fentanyl and she has “done that too many…times.”

According to court documents, the female suspect told investigators in an interview that she has heard of the deceased victim’s first name but denied knowing the victim specifically.

Court documents said the female suspect also told investigators that the buyer had already gotten cocaine and then asked for fentanyl, which she found “weird.” The female suspect believed the buyer had already paid another dealer for the fentanyl. She then retrieved the fentanyl and gave it to the buyer. She also said that the buyer had asked for cocaine and she provided that as well.

“The case is still ongoing. The investigation remains open, and we are awaiting additional evidence before making a final charging decision,” according to the Prosecutor’s Office.