Lansing man convicted in teen’s fentanyl overdose death following Snapchat drug deal

LEAVENWORTH, Kan.—A 20-year-old man from Lansing, Kansas, has been convicted on a charge stemming from the fentanyl overdose death of a teen who used Snapchat to obtain the drug.

During a plea hearing on Nov. 22, 2024, Torin Michael Baughman pleaded guilty to a single count of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Causing Death – to wit, fentanyl. The court accepted the plea and found him guilty. The charge relates to the January 17, 2023, death of N.C.B. (DOB: x/x/2007), a 15-year-old Leavenworth County teen.

 Leavenworth County Sheriff's deputies arrested Baughman on March 20, 2024, after the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) obtained an arrest warrant.

 According to court documents, multiple law enforcement agencies investigated the crime, including the KBI and the U.S. Secret Service. Using Life360 data, investigators placed Baughman near N.C.B’s home on the night of the overdose death. During an examination of N.C.B.’s iPhone, a Network Intrusion Forensic Analyst with the Secret Service extracted data from the iPhone and found a Snapchat conversation between Baughman and the N.C.B. Through the investigation, it was shown that Baughman did provide N.C.B. a pill that was “sprayed” with fentanyl.  Law enforcement was able to connect the death of N.C.B. to the fentanyl that Baughman provided. An autopsy was conducted, and the results confirmed N.C.B.’s cause of death of fentanyl overdose. 

 Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said, “When we see cases involving someone that died due to overdose, it’s too easy to blame the user.  We need to hold the dealer, the provider, and the distributor accountable.   Addiction is real; it grabs hold of someone, and it’s very hard for that person to let go.  Now, we have a substance that kills the first time you take it.  It’s dangerous, and everyone needs to be aware.”

 A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 3, 2025.