A Roeland Park woman pleaded no contest for her role in the drug death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
On Feb. 18, in Johnson County District Court, Izabel Reed, pleaded no contest to two counts of drug distribution causing death in the accidental fatal overdose of Alexandrea Hunter, 31, of Ottawa, Kansas, and her unborn child, Jax.
Reed was accused of selling drugs laced with fentanyl to Hunter on Dec. 24, 2023, who later fatally overdosed on them in a QuikTrip bathroom in Roeland Park.
At the time, Hunter was pregnant for about 35-38 weeks, court records stated.
Along with the drug distribution charge, Reed was originally charged with first-degree murder for the death of the unborn child.
Judge Thomas Sutherland is presiding over the case.
Hunter’s body was found in a QuikTrip restroom
At about 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, 2023, a QuikTrip employee notified Roeland Park Police officers about an unresponsive person found in the gas station’s restroom.
When police arrived, they found Hunter laying unresponsive on the restroom’s floor, clutching a lighter, burnt red straw, and piece of burnt aluminum foil in her right hand, according to court records.
Emergency medical crews could not revive Hunter and she was pronounced dead at 11 p.m.
An investigation of the bathroom by Roeland Park police found a small plastic baggie containing a “rock-like substance” that later was confirmed by a lab test to be the opioid para-fluorofentanyl and fentanyl, according to court records.
Reed was being investigated for dealing drugs
At the time of Hunter’s death, a detective with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office was investigating Reed and her boyfriend, Nicholas Gregg, for distributing fentanyl. After hearing of Hunter’s overdose, he looked into a link between her death and Reed’s alleged drug dealing.
Later, the Northeast Kansas Drug Task Force conducted multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine and carfentanil from Reed and Gregg, which a lab test concluded to contain fentanyl and xylazlne mixture, according to court records.
On Jan. 23, 2025, an officer with the Northeast Kansas Drug Task Force searched Hunter’s phone and found she had been communicating with Reed to purchase drugs from her multiple times. Hunter was listed in the phone with her photo and a note that said “ADDICT,” court records stated.
Their last communication was at about 5:35 p.m. on Dec. 24, 2023, when Hunter texted Reed to tell her she had arrived and if she could come in, presumably to the latter’s residence, court records stated.
Baggies found inside the QuikTrip restroom contained a drawing of cartoon pandas on it, the same design that was found on unused drug baggies found during a search of Reed and Gregg’s residence.
Hunter was a nurse and artist
Originally from Aberdeen, Washington, Hunter grew up participating in multiple organizations and groups, including her school’s high school cheer squad and musicals, according to her obituary.
After graduating high school, she received her Certified Nursing Assistant certificate.
“Alex was unique, creative, funny, smart, and compassionate. She was very talented at writing and was extremely artistic. She was quick witted with a great sense of humor,” her obituary stated.
Hunter had three kids with her partner, Chris Brown, who told Fox 4 that “she was a great mommy” who struggled with addiction.
“People that don’t know addicts don’t know how it changes them, how it controls them and what it will make them do like a puppet,” he said.
What’s next
Reed is scheduled for sentencing at 11:15 a.m. on April 1 in Johnson County District Court. She is in custody on a $1 million bond.
Gregg is scheduled for a status conference hearing on March 30 for charges of first-degree murder, drug distribution causing death, two counts each of distribution of an opiate and distribution of heroin and two counts of use of a communication device for a felony drug violation.
Other Johnson County Court fentanyl conviction news: ‘A bright future… stolen’ — Family of Olathe West grad who died from fentanyl overdose honor her memory
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