Mount Vernon Woman Arrested for Controlled Substance Homicide

Mount Vernon, WA: On November 22nd 2o14, around 10 am the Mount Vernon Police Department responded with fire and EMS to an address in Mount Vernon  for reports of a deceased person at a hosing complex that is used to house subjects that are participating  in Skagit County Drug Court.

The deceased person, later identified as Taryl Jewell,  was found laying on a bed and officers located a spoon laying on the floor between the persons feet as well as a package of needles on the bed, a cap for the plunger end of a needle separate from the  others and what appeared to be an empty bindle on the bed. Detective located another bindle of suspected heroin in the mans wallet and a needle lying under the bed.

According to treatment providers, the man had just received a $300.00 check in the mail and was looking to cash it. A receipt from MoneyTree was found in the subject pocket indicating he had cashed the check on 11/21/2014 around 3 pm.  His treatment provider also informed police that the subject had passed a clean urinalysis drug screen on 11/19/14 and the entire complex was searched by a drug dog on 11/20/14.  The mans roommate and girlfriend said they had no indication that the man had been using drugs recently.

The man’s cell phone was located near his body. On December 1st, 2014, a search warrant for his cell phone records was obtained and served.  The results of the warrant were received the next day by detectives and showed that the subject was having a text conversation with a specific number.

Detectives were able to openly search the phone number that the man was contacting via text message on Facebook and it was connected to a Facebook page belonging to Kaitlyn Deven.   Ms. Deven was also a member of Drug Court.

A search warrant was issued for Kaitlyn Deven’s phone.  Results of that search showed the subscriber of the phone was Kaitlyn’s Father.

On December 5th, 2014, detectives made contact with the parents of Kaitlyn and the phone was turned over to detectives.  The same day they also made contact with Kaitlyn at the Skagit County Jail.  She admitted that she did provide the male with heroin on the day of his death. She also admitted to driving him to Wal Mart to purchase the package of needles. She said they  next went to Safeway where the man threw away the box that the needles were in before Ms. Deven dropped him back off at his house.

Police obtained video from Wal Mart and Safeway which confirmed her statements. The pair are seen leaving Safeway at 4:37 Pm.

The victim sent a text message at 5:30 pm to another person stating “his nose was itchy.”  This is a common term used meaning a person is high.

On February 10th, 2015, results of the autopsy were received from Dr. Goldfogel. The report lists the cause of death as “Acute Vascular Access Opiate (Heroin) Usage.”

Kaitlyn Deven is being held in the Skagit County Jail for the crime of Delivery of a controlled substance and Controlled Substance Homicide.   She pled Not guilty to the charges in March of 2015.