Martin County - Monday May 1, 2023: Martin County Sheriff Detectives Friday arrested 41 year old Kevin Joseph Whitehouse of Stuart on a charge of murder by distributing fentanyl causing death.
Whitehouse is accused in the January 13, 2023 death of death of 28 year old Samantha Alice Nell, also of Stuart. He was arrested and charged last Friday, April 28 following a lengthy investigation.
Shortly before 1 am, Nell was found in her bedroom by her youngest daughter "slumped over unresponsive" according to the Field Case Report released by the Sheriff's Office. The daughter then went to her grandmother and said "I could not wake Mommy".
MCSO detectives were called to the home. "A white powdery subsistence folded in notebook paper, and several whole and half yellow Xanax pills" were found next to Nell.
One of the Deputies administered Narcan to her, without result. CPR was performed when Fire and Rescue arrived and Nell was then transported to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy completed on February 28 concluded that Nell died as a result of substance abuse caused by "acute fentanyl intoxication.
The family acknowledged to Detectives that Nell "had a history of drug abuse," and the substance found in Nell's room, the night of her death, later "field tested positive for the presence of fentanyl," states the report.
The investigation led to Kevin Whitehouse, one of Nell's acquaintances who she had meet during a drug rehabilitation meeting.
On January 18, five days after Nell's death, Whitehouse was located and arrested for driving on a suspended license and possession of drug paraphernalia. During an interrogation, before he realized that Nell had died, Whitehouse acknowledged that he had given some fentanyl to Nell.
A search warrant was sought and issued for Whitehouse's phone records which revealed his travel patterns, a subpoena was also issued in order to obtain for Nell's medical records.
Finally, by last Friday, April 28th, enough evidence had been gathered to charged Whitehouse and he "was placed under arrest for Murder by distributing Fentanyl pursuant to F.S.S. 782.04(1)a(3)g, at the Martin County Sheriffs Office on 04/28/23 at approximately l 700 hours, and transported to the jail," states the MCSO Affidavit of Probable Cause.