After months of speculation regarding the cause of death of a Black female teen whose body was found in a park last year, the Allegheny County Medical Examiners’ Office has ruled her death an accident “upon determining the following substances were in her system: Heroin, Chlorpheniramine and Dextromethorphan,” according to a release from the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety.
Joggers along a trail in Riverview Park discovered the nude bleached covered body of Teaira Whitehead, 16, of Homewood, on Oct. 6, 2014. She had spoken with her family the night before; it was the last time they would hear from her.
While Whitehead’s death has been ruled an accident, Pittsburgh police are still investigating the matter and will now focus on whether her “death was the result of a drug delivery under the Pennsylvania Crimes Code.” It is a felony in the first degree.
It is unknown whether the use of bleach on the body is still apart of the police’s investigation. In an article last year regarding the case, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala reportedly stated that suspects often use bleach in crimes to destroy DNA evidence.
According to the release, drug delivery as defined by statute includes, “…any person who intentionally administers, dispenses, delivers, gives, prescribes, sells or distributes any controlled substance…and another person dies as a result of using the substance.”
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