3 Arrested In Overdose Death Of Pregnant Woman: Chesco DA

WEST CHESTER, PA — Three people have been arrested after a pregnant woman died from a fentanyl overdose in Chester County earlier this year, the district attorney's office announced this week.

Marty Jene Harrell Jr., 33, Davonne Marquis Dutton-Norris, 29, and Tajh Curry, 34, have all been arrested, and Harrell and Dutton-Norris have been charged with drug delivery resulting in death.

The incident occurred back on June 5 at a home on Kelmar Avenue in East Whiteland Township.

The victim, a 35-year-old woman, was six months pregnant.

"Those suffering from the disease of addiction deserve a chance at treatment, not death from a bad batch of drugs," DA Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe said in a statement. "That is why Chester County’s law enforcement will continue to work together to hold drug dealers accountable for their deadly drug sales."

Interviews, search warrants, and court orders pieced together a picture of events leading up to her death. Police said the victim had been attempting to purchase pressed fentanyl pills from Harrell and Dutton-Norris for days.

The pair used a home in Valley Township as a "hub" for storing and distributing numerous drugs in addition to fentanyl, including cocaine and methamphetamine, officials said.

The woman had fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl, xylazine, and methamphetamine in her system when she died, an autopsy found.

Chester County Detectives, PA state police, and police in East Whiteland, Caln, Coatesville, and Valley Township all assisted in the investigation.

The three suspects were booked at Chester County Prison. A preliminary hearing is forthcoming.