Medical Examiner releases cause of death of Gig Harbor boy who died suddenly at sleepover
The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office has released the cause and manner of a 16-year-old Gig Harbor boy’s sudden death earlier this year.
While hanging out with friends at a sleepover on Jan. 21 in Tacoma, Adrian Gunter died of an accidental overdose from “acute tramadol and cyclobenzaprine,” according to a news release from the Medical Examiner.
Tramadol is a narcotic used for pain relief after surgeries and cyclobenzaprine is a muscle relaxant, according to medlineplus.gov and FDA.gov.
Gunter was found unresponsive at the Tacoma home and given CPR by people there, William Muse, a spokesperson for the Tacoma Police Department previously told the Gateway.
He said Gunter also was given CPR by firefighting personnel when they arrived. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Gateway previously reported that Gunter’s family believed he might have died from smoking marijuana that might have been laced. The other kids at the gathering said they’d been smoking, Tessa Gunter, Adrian’s mother previously told the Gateway. The family was waiting for the toxicology report.
Gunter’s mom, Tessa Gunter, feels more confused now, she told the Gateway Wednesday, Feb. 28.
Detectives recently told her that the other boys at the sleepover have admitted they got into a medicine cabinet that night, she said.
“Parents need to be careful about what they leave laying around when you have kids over, especially leaving teenagers alone knowing you have those things in your house,” Tessa Gunter told the Gateway.
The Gateway asked Muse on Feb. 27 where their investigation stands.
Muse said “the case remains open and is still being actively investigated.”
“If there is evidence of a crime having been committed, we will forward the case to the Prosecutor’s Office for charging review,” Muse said.
Muse said March 1 that investigators had not made a decision about forwarding the case to the prosecutor’s office.
The youth drug overdose crisis in Pierce County
Accidental drug overdose deaths in Pierce County are increasing for young people from the ages of 18 to 24, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Heath Department (TPCHD) website.
“Drug overdose is the leading cause of injury deaths in Pierce County,” Pierce County’s Behaviorial Health Policy Coordinator, Elizabeth Allen wrote in a recent blog. “It’s the second leading cause of injury deaths for people 15-24 years old.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2024 at 11:35 AM.
