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PRICE — Investigators have arrested a Helper woman for investigation of murder, claiming she provided prescription pills to a man who overdosed on the drugs and died.
Alejandra “Ally” Dunn, 26, was booked Monday into the Carbon County Jail for investigation of murder, distribution of a controlled substance and child endangerment, according to Price Police Chief Kevin Drolc.
Dunn's arrest follows nearly five months of investigation by detectives into the Aug. 3 death of a 39-year-old Salt Lake man who was living at a home in Price, the chief said.
"The real delay was the toxicology report on the deceased — that can take months — and once we had that, we were able to close the case pretty quickly," Drolc said.
Price police detective Chris Pugliese found forensic evidence in the man's home that appeared to implicate Dunn in the man's death, the chief said. Pugliese also interviewed Dunn.
"Under interrogation, she admitted to providing the controlled substance to the victim," Drolc said, noting that Dunn maintains the man was alive when she left his house with her daughter.
She should have known he was overdosing, but claims she didn't. The evidence shows she was responsible for his death.
–Kevin Drolc, Price Police Chief
"She should have known he was overdosing, but claims she didn't," the chief said. "The evidence shows she was responsible for his death."
Drolc declined to identify the man, saying his department typically doesn't release the names of drug overdose victims. He acknowledged that the case is unusual, but said it's the kind of case his department will pursue whenever there appears to be evidence of a crime.
"Statewide, not just in Price, we're losing too many people to drug overdoses," Drolc said. "Any chance that we have to have the opportunity to investigate back to the point where we can prove that someone else was involved, we're going to take that opportunity."
Court records show Dunn has two prior convictions for misdemeanor theft. She remains in the Carbon County Jail, where she's being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.
