A pregnant woman was found dead from a drug overdose last fall. Now, the suspected drug dealer is charged in the death of the mom-to-be and her unborn child.

Amanda Yost, 37, of Chambersburg was arrested on Jan. 25 and put in Franklin County Jail on $150,000 bail, according to online court records. She is charged with drug delivery resulting in death, criminal homicide of an unborn child, third-degree murder of an unborn child and drug offenses.

911 call reported a drowning

Emergency responders from the Chambersburg police and fire departments responded to a 911 call for a drowning in the 100 block of West Commerce Street at about 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 10, according to court documents.

A woman, reported to be pregnant, was found in the bathroom. Attempts were made to revive her, but she was “beyond help,” police said.

The victim’s name and age were not included in court documents, though police confirmed she was an adult.

Police found in the bathroom various items typically used “to inject controlled substances into the human body,” including a plastic cup containing a small amount of water, a bottle cap holding a discolored piece of cotton and a syringe, according to court documents. Half of a green pill capsule was also found.

Deputies from the Franklin County Coroner’s Office conducted a urine drug screen, which returned a presumptive result of fentanyl.

Police received the victim’s autopsy report in November. It showed her cause of death as “mixed drug toxicity including clonazepam, fentanyl and xylazine complicated by drowning,” according to court documents.

The autopsy report also showed the victim was 20 to 21 weeks pregnant.

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Texts and video footage revealed suspect

Police connected Yost to the overdose via a forensic analysis of the victim’s phone.

Yost’s phone number and her Facebook page had been accessed on the phone and were”found to be in contact with the victim prior to her death,” according to court documents. Police were aware of Yost’s phone number through prior interactions.

The analysis also turned up text messages and Facebook messages between Yost and the victim, police said. The content of the messages appeared to be drug-related.

A search warrant for Facebook activity supported the findings of the analysis, according to court documents.

Police also obtained surveillance footage that showed the victim at Yost’s residence for about 10 minutes each on Sept. 6, 8 and 9, according to court documents. The dates and times correspond with the messages with Yost found on the victim’s phone.

Police executed a search warrant on Yost’s home in the 100 block of North Fourth Street on Sept. 14.

Officers found green capsules, consistent with the capsule half located in the victim’s bathroom. Several capsules and vials contained a white powder, which appeared to be a controlled substance.

Yost was not home when the search warrant was carried out. She stopped by the police department afterward and left her number for the investigating officer, but court documents do not describe any other interaction.

In connection to the charges for the death of the woman and her unborn baby, Yost is charged with manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court records.

Her preliminary hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Feb. 6 before Magisterial District Judge Glenn Manns in Franklin County Central Court.

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Xylazine makes ‘deadliest drug…even deadlier,’ DEA warns

Law enforcement officials have blamed fentanyl for the spike in drug overdoses in the past decade. Now, a substance called xylazine is making the situation worse, leading the Drug Enforcement Administration to warn the public about the danger.

A sedative approved for veterinary use, xylazine can cause people who inject it to develop severe wounds and even rotting tissue bad enough to require amputation, according to the DEA’s public notice.

Users of substances containing xylazine – also known as “Tranq” – and fentanyl are at a higher risk of overdose. Xylazine is not an opioid, meaning naloxone does not reverse its effects.

“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said. “DEA has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 states. The DEA Laboratory System is reporting that in 2022 approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized in the DEA contained xylazine.”

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: Fentanyl kills pregnant woman; dealer suspect charged in baby’s death