Muncie man charged for selling heroin that caused fatal overdose in October 2024

MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie man has been arrested after he reportedly sold heroin that caused a fatal overdose in October 2024.

According to court documents filed earlier this month in Delaware County, 28-year-old Joseph Bush has been preliminarily charged with:

• One count of dealing in a controlled substance resulting in death, a Level 1 felony
• One count of dealing in cocaine/narcotic drug, a Level 5 felony

On Oct. 30, 2024, officers with the Muncie Police Department were leaving a traffic stop in the 2100 block of N. New York Ave. when they were approached by a man. The man told police that his friend was reportedly suffering from an overdose in a nearby home.

The documents said that when officers entered the home, they saw Joshua Beabout sitting on a bed unconscious. Officials said that Beabout, who was later confirmed deceased, was found with straws in his hand and burnt foil lying on the bed.

Officers reportedly made contact with his family, who provided information on who had reportedly been selling Beabout drugs. The documents said that this helped identify Beabont’s neighbor, or Bush, as the suspect.

Multiple people told police that Bush would reportedly place heroin in a mailbox. The documents said that Beabout would walk across the street to the mailbox, pick up the drugs and put money in the mailbox in exchange for the heroin. Multiple people told police they had seen this exchange occur.

In texts obtained from Beabout’s phone, the documents said there were messages between him and an individual named “Joey” that centered around drug transactions. The documents stated that Beabout’s toxicology report showed “several positive results including (testing) positive for fentanyl.”

“The autopsy report showed Beabout’s cause of death as acute mixed drug intoxication,” the documents said.

The documents said that Bush’s bond has been set at $55,000, cash or surety.