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GALVESTON, Texas - An arrest has been made in connection with a fentanyl-related murder that occurred in January, officials said.
Suspect arrested in fentanyl-related murder in Galveston
According to a release by the Galveston County Sheriff's Office, they were called out to the 4200 block of Second Street in Bacliff back on January 14 in reference to a deceased person.
When authorities arrived, they located 37-year-old Amanda Tsipai, a mother of three, dead in the driveway of her home.
Officials said Tsipai was positioned partially standing and leaning into her vehicle.
Detectives said they later determined that Tsipai had remained in that position deceased overnight for approximately 18 hours.
During the investigation, officials said they discovered a 10-year-old child was inside caring for their 3-month-old sibling for approximately 18 hours while the mother was dead outside.
Officials said both children were later confirmed to be Tsipai's children. The third child was not location at the time.
Authorities said following extensive investigative efforts, including forensic analysis of Tsipai's cell phone data and review of surveillance footage in the area, detectives identified 25-year-old Dishod Rowe as the person responsible for distributing the narcotics that ultimately led to Amanda Tsipai's death.
An autopsy conducted by the Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office revealed an exceptionally high level of fentanyl in Tsipai's system, far exceeding a lethal dose, officials said.
On Tuesday, detectives presented their findings to the Galveston County District Attorney's Office. After review of the evidence, the Galveston County D.A. accepted a murder charge against Rowe.
Bond for Rowe was set at $500,000.
Rowe was arrested Wednesday by authorities.
What they're saying:
"Let this case serve as a warning: fentanyl is deadly, and those who traffic it in our community will be aggressively investigated. We will not tolerate those who profit from poisoning our citizens."
The Source: Galveston County Sheriff's Office news release