A local couple is facing murder charges in the death of a 17-year-old Pahrump girl back in April.
Nye County Sheriff’s deputies arrested both Terry Lynn Allen 35, and Heather Longberry 37, on June 15 on open murder and additional drug-related charges after the couple allegedly provided illicit drugs to the minor.
Both are being held at the Nye County Detention Center without bail.
The victim’s name has not been released.
As stated in the arrest document, Allen is the boyfriend of Longberry, who happens to be the mother of the deceased teenager.
A sheriff’s office arrest report indicated that on April 2, both Allen and Longberry provided methamphetamines to the teen, which contributed to her death at a south Linda Street residence, according to Nye County Sheriff’s Deputy Alexander Cox.
Both Cox and Nye County Sheriff’s Detective Jose Parra responded to the home in reference to the teenager not breathing.
Upon arrival, both began administering CPR on the female prior to the arrival of medics, who subsequently transported the minor to Desert View Hospital.
“She was transported to Desert View Hospital for further treatment,” Cox’s report stated. “The 17-year-old minor female was pronounced deceased at Desert View Hospital.”
The ensuing investigation revealed that both Allen and Longberry accused each other of giving the female methamphetamines prior to her becoming unresponsive.
“Allen stated that Longberry told him that she got the 17-year-old minor female high off of illegal narcotics,” Cox’s report noted. “Allen stated that the 17-year-old minor didn’t look well and called 911. Allen stated that Longberry took the phone away from him and told dispatch that her younger child dialed 911 by mistake.”
Upon entering the home, Deputy Cox described that the interior was in complete disarray, reeked of urine and feces and was infested with mice that did not appear to fear humans.
The residence is also home to Longberry’s young children, including a 5-year-old, an 8-year-old, and a 9-year-old.
“A puddle of urine was on the kitchen counter and there was garbage all over the house,” Cox noted. “The kitchen sink was full of garbage and water. The thermostat case was missing and displayed a tube of mercury in plain view. Longberry stated that she did not have hot water and that the landlord was coming to fix the water heater. Being inside the residence for a short amount of time caused Detective Parra and I to become ill. The detective and I could not stop sneezing, and we had a difficult time breathing and almost vomited.”
Additionally, Cox’s report indicated that Longberry was asked by Allen to ask the 17-year-old female to have a threesome.
“Longberry also stated that she told the female about the request and they did not have a threesome,” the report noted. “Longberry stated that she did not give the 17-year-old drugs and that Allen gave the 17-year-old female the white powder.”
On June 14, a Clark County Medical Examiner contacted Cox about the teen’s autopsy results.
“The medical examiner stated that a large amount of methamphetamine was located in the 17-year-old’s gastric fluid,” Cox noted. “The medical examiner stated that the cause of death was methamphetamine intoxication and that the manner of death is undetermined. Due to the totality of the circumstances, I believe that the methamphetamine that Allen and Longberry provided to the minor directly caused her death.”
Nye County Deputy District Attorney Patrick Ferguson is prosecuting the case.
A 9 a.m., pre-trial hearing for Allen and Longberry is scheduled for July 5, in Pahrump Justice Court Department A, before Justice of the Peace Gus Sullivan.
“Both defendants are facing similar charges and at this point, there will very likely be some new charges coming down against both of them,” he said. “I will add those new charges once I have finished reviewing the additional evidence, and drafting an appropriate amended charging document.”
Ferguson also said he received the official coroner’s report, which indicated the cause of death was methamphetamine toxicity.
“The allegations in the case are pretty shocking and rather outrageous, nevertheless the evidence seems to support those shocking allegations,” he said. “They appeared in justice court and they already have lawyers assigned to represent them, but with the public defender contracts changing on July 1, their presently assigned attorneys right now may be changing.”
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes