Foul play suspected in tragic death of TV star's 15-year-old niece
<p dir="ltr">Police are investigating the death of TV star Audrina Patridge’s 15-year-old niece, after her cause of death was revealed to be a drug overdose. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Young Sadie passed away in February just nine days after her 15th birthday.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Police are still looking into the exact manner of how the teenager died, as they are investigating different avenues of how the drugs entered her system.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sources have been trying to figure out how the teenager got her hands on narcotics, adding that police have learned that she allegedly used Snapchat to procure Percocet that was laced with fentanyl.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug, which can be up to 100x stronger than typical opioid drugs like morphine. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Fentanyl, a very fast acting medication, is a prescription drug used during surgeries and prescribed for very severe pain, often in late-stage cancers.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Despite being an effective pain reliever, Fentanyl is also manufactured illegally and may be sold as powder, fake pills or mixed in with other illicit drugs, like heroin, with this combination being especially deadly.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Audrina, known for her role on <em>The Hills</em>, shared the heartbreaking news in February that her niece had passed away in a 10-slide Instagram tribute.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“My heart hurts to even write this. My beautiful niece is now in heaven,” she captioned the slide show that looked back on cherished memories.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I know it’s not goodbye forever, but it is the hardest to say goodbye for now. We will miss you and cherish every single moment we had with you. Rest in peace Say Say!! We love you forever & ever!”</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>
