A Missouri podiatrist who died suddenly in January died of a fatal drug overdose. It’s been just over three years since her fiancé’s ex-lover was also found mysteriously dead.
Sarah Sweeney, 39, whose body was found in a home in St. Louis’ Westwood neighborhood on the morning of January 13, died of oxycodone, gabapentin and diphenhydramine intoxication, according to the Frontenac Police Department.
Oxycodone is a narcotic painkiller, diphenhydramine (often sold over the counter under the brand name Benadryl) is used to treat allergic symptoms, and gabapentin is an anticonvulsant.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Sweeney was taking these medications on a regular basis, but her mother, Teresa Sweeney Wright, previously told FOX News Digital that she was suffering from health problems caused by mast cell activation syndrome. He said he was having problems.
There were no obvious signs of trauma to her body and there was evidence that she had been home alone in the hours before her death, the release added.
However, the manner of Sweeney’s death has not yet been determined.
“Investigators continue to gather information. Therefore, this incident remains an active investigation,” the update concludes.
According to public records, Sweeney was found dead in the home he shared with his fiance, local fire chief Robert Daus.
Nearly four years ago, in July 2020, Daus called emergency responders to his previous address in Creve Coeur and said he had apparently shot his then-fiancée Grace Holland in the head in front of her. was reporting.
Holland, who had four children, was later found to have taken her own life.
Her family disputed this finding and sued Daus for wrongful death, citing evidence that Daus controlled Holland’s finances and threatened to end their relationship.
When Sweeney moved in with Dous, she expressed some misgivings about his troubled past.
“I had to live with my ‘murderer’ boyfriend.” [sic] It was scary at times,” she wrote in March 2022 to former colleague and friend Daniel Mankunas.
At the time, Ms. Sweeney was considering suing her former employer and was trying to convince Ms. Mankunas to support her lawsuit despite the financial and professional risks.
The case was still ongoing at the time of Sweeney’s death.
Sweeney Wright told Fox in January that Sweeney’s relationship with Dauss also caused her to be estranged from her mother and stepfather.
The grieving mother explained that her loved ones sent her articles about Daus and Holland’s relationship, but she ultimately stopped responding.
“She was an adult, a doctor, a woman. We didn’t know what to do,” she said at the time.
Sweeney Wright, speaking to the Post Wednesday morning, said the family has “full confidence in the thorough investigation by the St. Louis County Coroner’s Office and the Frontenac Police Department.”
“Our hope is to close this chapter in our lives, grieve, move on and continue to honor Sarah’s memory,” she added.
Robert Daus did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.
