Press release, Leavenworth County Attorney's office
LEAVENWORTH – A 20-year-old man from Lansing, Kan., has been convicted on a charge stemming from the fentanyl overdose death of a teen who used Snapchat to obtain the drug.
During a plea hearing on Nov. 22, Torin Michael Baughman pleaded guilty to a single count of distribution of a controlled substance causing death – in this case, fentanyl. The court accepted the plea and found him guilty. The charge relates to the Jan. 17, 2023, death of a 15-year-old Leavenworth County teen.
Leavenworth County Sheriff's deputies arrested Baughman on March 20, 2024, after the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) obtained an arrest warrant.
According to court documents, multiple law enforcement agencies investigated the crime, including the KBI and the U.S. Secret Service. Using Life360 data, investigators placed Baughman near the teens home on the night of the overdose death. During an examination of teen’s iPhone, a network intrusion forensic analyst with the Secret Service extracted data from the iPhone and found a Snapchat conversation between Baughman and the teen.
Through the investigation, it was shown that Baughman did provide the teen a pill that was “sprayed” with fentanyl. Law enforcement was able to connect the death of victim to the fentanyl that Baughman provided. An autopsy was conducted, and the results confirmed the victim’s cause of death of fentanyl overdose.
“When we see cases involving someone that died due to overdose, it’s too easy to blame the user," said Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson. "We need to hold the dealer, the provider, and the distributor accountable. Addiction is real; it grabs hold of someone, and it’s very hard for that person to let go. Now, we have a substance that kills the first time you take it. It’s dangerous, and everyone needs to be aware.”
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 3, 2025.
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