A teenager used heroin with his mother hours before she found him dead in their Green hotel room Wednesday evening, authorities report.
Andrew Frye, a 16-year-old Akron Public Schools student, is suspected to have died from a heroin overdose, according to Summit County Medical Examiner’s records.
He was found dead by his mother and her friend, who shared a room with him at the Super 8 Hotel, 1605 Corporate Woods Parkway.
According to the medical report, the group rented the room at about 1 a.m. Wednesday. They told investigators they got the room so they could go swimming.
Andrew’s grandmother or her mother’s friend may have purchased the heroin they used, according to records. The grandmother was not mentioned again in the report. The report was unclear whether she was ever at the hotel.
At about 6 a.m., Andrew, his mother and her friend used heroin in the hotel room, according to the report. Andrew was told to use the heroin in the bathroom because his mother did not like to watch him use drugs.
At 6:28 a.m., a picture was posted to what appears to be Andrew’s Facebook page reading: “Pretending that you don’t have feelings of anger, sadness or loneliness can destroy you mentally.”
At about 7 a.m., the three of them went to sleep.
At 6:45 p.m., the mother and her friend awoke to find the teen dead near his bed.
There were no signs of trauma. Police found syringes, drug paraphernalia and suspected drugs in the hotel room.
The report indicated Andrew had a history of substance abuse and was diabetic.
Medical examiner spokesperson Gary Guenther stressed heroin is the suspected cause of Andrew’s death, but the office has to wait for a toxicology report for confirmation.
Guenther said if the teen did die from heroin, he would be the youngest person to die of an opiate overdose in Summit County so far this year.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Bill Holland declined to comment Thursday on the findings in the medical examiner’s report. He said charges could be filed pending the result of the sheriff’s investigation.
“Whatever evidence we find of criminal activity, the appropriate arrests will follow,” he said.
He declined to elaborate on possible charges.
The Akron school district said that Frye was an online student. He had enrolled with the district in January after being in Green schools, a spokesman said. Both districts are offering counseling services to students.
All three adults mentioned in the report — Andrew’s 31-year-old mother, his 52-year-old grandmother and his mother’s 34-year-old friend — have court records of drug-related charges.
Frye’s aunt had custody of him, according to the medical examiner’s report.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.