North Texas man charged in Wylie teen’s fentanyl overdose death
WYLIE, Texas - The overdose death of a 17-year-old Collin County teenager has opened another federal drug investigation of fentanyl. One suspect is charged with conspiracy and drug distribution.
Chance Stovall was a junior in high school and died in the bedroom of a person who also snorted pills with him.
While there have been multiple convictions of dealers, the fentanyl issue is still spreading.
Robbie Stovall is describing Jan. 30, a day that changed his life forever.
"Got a knock, knock on my door at five in the morning. Two police officers knocked on the door," he recalled. "Your son overdosed, and he's being rushed at Children's in Dallas.
Robbie’s 17-year-old son, Chance, a junior at Wylie East, snuck out of the house to meet someone in Richardson.
The two snorted fentanyl-laced pills. The suspect, 21-year-old Connor Miller, survived; Chance did not.
Chance Stovall (Family Photo)
Court documents say Miller told officers after snorting two pills, "He then nodded off and woke up to juvenile male #1 unconscious on the floor where Miller believed he had overdosed."
Robbie is now left to cope with the guilt and sorrow.
"As a parent, you have to give them a little bit of space so they can learn things on their own. You know what I’m saying," he said. "Unfortunately, this one, this lesson cost him his life."
Investigators at the home found evidence on a nightstand that the suspect was battling addiction.
Police say they found "an attendance sheet in the name of Connor Miller for Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous meetings."
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There was also a note written by Miller, acknowledging his self-destructive spiral.
"If anything happens to me, I love you… and I thank y’all for all the chances," the note said. "I’m sorry I did this. It was not on purpose… give info for funeral… will give it to the people I was in rehab with. I loved all of them. Love, Connor."
DEA Dallas Special Agent in Charge Eduardo Chavez says every fentanyl high is a gamble.
"It is a 70% likelihood that you may get one that contains a lethal dose," he said.
In 2022, six in every ten pills the DEA seized contained a deadly dose of fentanyl. It is now seven in every ten.
Miller told investigators he started taking Percocet pills when he was 17.
Chavez said this is a case of someone with an addiction problem also becoming a distributor.
"We don’t want to just identify the person who sold that last dose of deadly fentanyl pills. We want to identify where they got it from and who they got it from," he said.
Court documents say Miller started taking fentanyl pills last year around the same time he met Chance at work.
Miller’s dealer allegedly sold him pills at least six other times.
Miller and Chance met the dealer in Dallas, according to investigators, and made a $40 purchase that would end Chance’s life.
Robbie describes a young man who loved sports and playing with his siblings. He's hoping this interview can make parents more aware.
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"I wouldn't be doing my son any favors if I didn't stand tall on this and tell everybody in the world about it," he said.
The DEA said the case is still developing, and it hopes to make more arrests in connection to fentanyl-related overdoses and deaths in North Texas.