Neighbors Charged After 16-Year-Old Girl Dies Of Heroin Overdose

WARREN (WWJ/AP) - Two Warren residents have been charged with delivery of a controlled substance causing death after a 16-year-old girl died of an apparent heroin overdose.

Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith says Thursday that 45-year-old Donald McCoy and 40-year-old Leslie Metcalfe are jailed and face arraignment Friday in Warren District Court.

Text messages show Sierra Lawson of Warren offered Metcalfe, her neighbor, $50 for heroin for she and her boyfriend on Jan. 6.

Lawson had told Metcalfe in a text that she had already taken five Xanax pills with her boyfriend and was high on prescription pills, Smith said.

McCoy ended up paying for the heroin, all four snorted it, and Lawson passed out.

She later stopped breathing.

"You know, these are adults," Smith told WWJ's Sandra McNeill. "They should know better than to be doing heroin anyway. But they certainly know better than to give a 16-year-old heroin, and certainly know better than to give a 16-year-old who is high as a kite heroin."

Smith said Metcalfe did not call 911 but another neighbor did call for help after CPR failed to revive Lawson. Lawson was pronounced dead at a hospital; and her boyfriend, Smith said, also nearly died from an overdose.

Metcalfe, who has an outstanding warrant, left the trailer before police arrived but was later arrested when she returned to the apartment.

McCoy and Metcalfe faces up to life in prison if convicted.

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