The autopsy report for a 15-year-old Dunwoody High School student who died after she was found unresponsive at school revealed that a fentanyl overdose caused her death.
Mia Dieguez appeared to be sleeping in class May 6 when the bell rang for lunch and her classmates tried to wake her, according to a Dunwoody police report. When the teenager could not be roused and appeared not to be breathing, school officials called 911. Dieguez was taken to Children’s Scottish Rite Hospital and pronounced dead less than two hours later.
In the wake of Dieguez’s death, family members suggested she had accidentally overdosed on fentanyl after taking a pill given to her by someone at school, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. On Friday, the AJC obtained an autopsy report from the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office that lists Dieguez’s cause of death as “acute fentanyl intoxication.”
The report said Dieguez also tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and naloxone, the main ingredient in Narcan, a medicine often used to revive people suffering from opioid overdoses. No other significant injuries were identified.
A suspect was arrested the day after Dieguez’s death on multiple charges, including involuntary manslaughter, police said. The suspect is a minor who will be tried in juvenile court and their identity will not be publicly released, according to the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office.
Dieguez’s autopsy report revealed few other new details. The report listed the teen’s manner of death as “undetermined,” leaving it up to police and prosecutors to determine if the incident should be categorized as a homicide.
When manner of death can be determined, it is usually labeled as either natural, accidental, homicide or suicide. Dieguez’s sister, Paola Covarrubias, previously told the AJC she thought suicide was extremely unlikely.
“We all have hidden secrets that we can’t talk about, and I know she fought them daily, but I do want people to know that it wasn’t intentional,” Covarrubias said. “She didn’t want to die, and I wish some people would stop making assumptions about the situation.”
Officials have not released further updates on Dieguez’s case.
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