Fayette County Teen Faces Two Second-Degree Murder Charges for Deaths of Two Fellow Students

FAYETTE COUNTY, Tenn. - Three Fayette-Ware Comprehensive high school students, two deaths, and one facing second-degree murder charges.

On Tuesday, May 16th, the Fayette County sheriff's office reports it arrived at Fayette-Ware Comprehensive high school, and found two students, ages 16 and 17, dead.

The cause of death is reported to be drug overdoses.

A third student was in critical condition and taken to a hospital.

All three were found in a vehicle in the school parking lot.

The surviving student, age 17, has since been released from the hospital, but is now facing two counts of second-degree murder.

Investigators are still trying to figure out where and how the girls got the drugs.

The sheriff’s office reports the narcotics that were taken by the students were sent to a crime lab for analysis.

Traces of fentanyl were found.

On Thursday morning, the 17-year-old appeared for a court hearing.

The sheriff’s office reports she has been released into the custody of her grandmother and is on house arrest, with an ankle monitor.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports drug overdose deaths hit a new record in 2022.

Nearly 110, 000 people died as the fentanyl crisis deepens.

The Centers also report an increase in drug overdose deaths in young people aged 15-25.

Thursday night, the high school held a vigil in memory of the two students who died.

The vigil was for Fayette-Ware students, teachers, and faculty.

The sheriff’s office reports the seventeen-year-old’s next hearing, a status hearing, is scheduled for June 7th.