COLD SPRING, Minn. — A central Minnesota woman accused of providing the drug that caused the overdose death of her neighbor is now facing a murder charge.
Thirty-year-old Kayla Reynolds of Cold Spring is charged in Stearns County District Court with third-degree murder in the April death of 49-year-old Heidi Hiltner.
A criminal complaint says Reynolds called Cold Spring police on April 15 after she hadn’t heard or seen her neighbor for a few days. A responding officer entered Hiltner’s apartment and found her dead on the floor.
While that officer was inside the apartment he heard a noise in the bathroom, went in and reportedly found Reynolds going through the dead woman's purse. When he asked what she was doing the defendant reportedly said she was "helping."
The officer asked Reynolds to leave and continued processing the scene. He told prosecutors he found a prescription methadone bottle on the nightstand next to Hiltner’s bed that was prescribed to Reynolds.
An autopsy determined that Hiltner had methadone and amphetamine in her system, and the cause of death was listed as mixed drug toxicity.
Investigators say a search of Hiltner's phone revealed numerous text messages between the two women discussing Reynolds providing both methadone and amphetamines to her.
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