Ala. Woman Who'd Texted 'I Feel in Trouble' After Leaving Bar Died of Accidental Overdose
The 29-year-old Alabama woman who texted a friend saying “I feel in trouble” after leaving a Birmingham bar with two men in December died of an accidental overdose, say officials.
On Thursday, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office announced in a statement that the cause of death for Paighton Houston of Trussville was morphine and methamphetamine toxicity and that the manner was an accident, NBC News first reported.
“This represents an overdose and is classified as a drug-opioid death,” Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said in the statement obtained by PEOPLE.
The news came a day after authorities arrested convicted sex offender Frederick Hampton, 50, charging him with abuse of a corpse.
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The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested Hampton late Wednesday night at a relative’s home in Garfield Heights, Ohio, according to a statement from the US Marshal Service.
Hampton, who surrendered without incident, was wanted “in connection with the actions taken after the death of Paighton Houston,” the US Marshals said in the statement.
“Quick action by law enforcement in Alabama and Ohio led to the capture of this fugitive who was very clearly on the run from authorities, said U.S. Marshal Peter Elliott in the statement.”A person with little regard for life is off the streets and both communities are safer this evening.”
Hampton is also under investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service for possible federal violations.
Houston was last seen Dec. 20 leaving The Tin Roof bar in Birmingham with two men, including Hampton, say police.
Hours later, police say she sent a text message to a friend that said, “Idk who im with so if I call please answer. I feel in trouble,” The Trussville Tribune reports.
She was reported missing on Dec. 21.
On Jan. 3, Houston’s body was found wrapped in sheets in a shallow grave behind an unoccupied home in Hueytown that belongs to Hampton’s family, the US Marshals Service says in a statement.
There were no obvious signs of trauma to her body, according to Jefferson County Police Deputy Chief David Agee
At a Jan. 16 press conference, Agee said an arrest warrant had been issued for Hampton, who was also charged with violating his sex offender notification act.
Hampton was convicted of sodomy and rape in 1992, AL.com reports. His sex offender registry note states, “offender along with 7 other men Committed Rape 1st and Sodomy 1st on an adult female.”
Evidence showed that Houston and Hampton had allegedly been together the night Houston was last seen alive and that she died the following day at a house in Brighton, he said.
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When Houston went missing, her mother, Charlaine Houston, took to Facebook saying, “WE NEED PRAYERS! We still have not heard anything! We are worried sick.”
After her daughter’s body was found, she wrote, “God answered our prayers, he brought her home to us.”
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It is unclear whether Hampton has retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
He will remain in custody in Ohio until he can be extradited back to Alabama.
