17 Year Old Dies of Fentanyl Overdose; Denton Police Charge 18 Year Old With The Murder

An 18-year-old has been charged with murder by the Denton Police Department for the death of a 17-year-old who died of a fentanyl overdose.

On September 25, 2023, authorities were called to the 7500 block of Barrymore Road. They then discovered Ryan Erwin who was unresponsive. He was transported to a medical facility but was later declared deceased.

As they were investigating, officers discovered evidence that the suspect, Zakkary McReynolds, had sold fentanyl to Erwin on the day he passed away. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office listed Erwin’s cause of death as combined fentanyl and diphenhydramine toxicity.

On Tuesday, McReynolds was apprehended by multiple agencies in the DFW metroplex on a murder warrant.

He is now in the City of Denton Jail.

Since September 1. 2023, there have been three fentanyl murder arrest in Denton. This came as a new state law went into effect, making it a criminal offense of murder for providing fentanyl leading to death, authorities say.