HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The cause of death was released after a 13-year-old boy was found dead at a northwest Harris County apartment complex in September.
Initially, deputies said the teen died under suspicious circumstances, then his death was considered "undetermined." An autopsy revealed Jarron Winston, 13, died from acute fentanyl toxicity, the medical examiner's office said. His death was ruled an accident.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said deputies received a 911 call at 2 a.m. on Sept. 25, 2023, from an apartment unit on FM 1960 near Eldridge Parkway.
The sheriff said the boy was found unresponsive lying in the family room and investigators believe he'd been dead for hours. They said it appeared he was foaming from his mouth.
Editor's note: The main video in this story is from a previous report.
"Very bizarre situation, we don't know exactly what led up to this unfortunate death of this teenager," Gonzalez said at the time.
The sheriff said the boy was sleeping in the fetal position on the living room floor where family members said he often slept.
The people living in the unit told deputies that at around 8 a.m. on Sept. 24, the boy said he felt warm and that his stomach hurt so he was given aspirin and then went to sleep.
Family members tried to check on the teen around 3 p.m., but he wasn’t responding. The family said it appeared that he was in a deep sleep. They didn't call for help until 11 hours later.
"I wish they would've called much sooner or sought medical attention much sooner,” the sheriff said. “Clearly, he was unresponsive for several hours and according to the EMS on the scene, even life-saving measures weren't really reasonable at that point. It had appeared he'd been dead for several hours."
Someone who said they were a family member reached out to KHOU 11 News via social media. They said the boy was a smart and kind kid who loved his family. They said he would have turned 14 in October 2023.
According to the sheriff, there were six adults and seven kids that were in the three-bedroom apartment when it happened. The children ranged in age from an infant to 17 years old.
KHOU 11 also learned that just a day before the family had another death in the family.
Neighbors we talked to told us their hearts go out to them.
"My prayers go out to the family, I mean regardless of what happened, my heart goes out to them. I have children, grandchildren, and I'm just surprised something like that occurred here," neighbor Wanda Fontenot said.