Woman sentenced to prison for tampering in fatal drug overdose

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boone County judge sentenced a woman to four years in prison for tampering with evidence in a deadly drug overdose, according to a news release from the Boone County Prosecutor's Office.

Adrian Sumler pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of tampering with physical evidence. Her four-year sentence is the maximum penalty allowed by state law.

According to the news release, in September 2023 Sumler called 911 to say someone had died from a drug overdose. At the time, Sumler claimed the person who died had supplied all the drugs, the news release said.

A later investigation determined Sumler had brought her own drugs, and that the other person had died from a combination of cocaine and fentanyl toxicity, according to the release.

“All law enforcement agencies take fentanyl deaths very seriously, and significant resources are dedicated to investigating how these deadly substances enter our community,” said Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Paul Wade in the release. “We want everyone to have the protection of the Good Samaritan law, but it requires working in good faith with officers and first responders. I hope this resolution brings the family some peace”.