Man charged with dealing drugs resulting in death of Kokomo woman, police searching for other suspect

KOKOMO, Ind.– Two men have been charged for allegedly supplying fentanyl that led to the fatal overdose of a woman in Kokomo last year.

According to a news release, officers with the Kokomo Police Department responded on April 16, 2024, to a residence on the south side of the city in response to a report of an unresponsive female.

The woman was pronounced dead on the scene by emergency personnel as the Howard County Coroner’s Office worked to determine the exact cause of death. KPD said Toxicology and autopsy reports determined that the intoxication of methamphetamine, duloxetine, acetyl fentanyl, fluorofentanyl and fentanyl ultimately caused the woman’s death.

As detectives investigated the woman’s death, they soon identified 49-year-old Donald Riggs of Gas City and Steven Cole of Fairmount as possible suspects. Arrest warrants were issued out of Howard Superior Court 4 for the two men on one count of Dealing in a Controlled Substance Causing Death (Level 1 Felony) and Dealing in a Narcotic Drug (Level 4 Felony).

Officers with the Gas City Police Department arrested Riggs on April 5, according to KPD. According to online court records, Riggs will appear in Howard Superior Court 4 on Aug. 8 for a jury trial.

As of this article’s publication, police have not detained Cole. Anyone with information related to Cole’s location is asked to contact KPD at (765) 456-7017 or Central Indiana Crime Stoppers at 1-800-262-TIPS.

The case remains under investigation.