Investigators charged a man with murder in connection with a fatal fentanyl overdose, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
On Jan. 13, 2018, investigators were called to an apartment on Summit Ridge Place in the Longwood area in response to an overdose-related death, officials said.
Deputies said a friend discovered Jon H. Wiggins, 46, unresponsive on the living room floor.
It took more than one year for toxicology results to be made available. The medical examiner determined the substance ingested by the victim was fentanyl.
According to witness statements and information on a phone belonging to Wiggins, investigators were able to trace the drugs back to a home on Alma Drive in Altamonte Springs where officials said the suspect, Austin Smiley, was living with his girlfriend. Smiley has been charged with murder by controlled substance.
Deputies told News 6 Wiggins was Marine veteran and a National Guardsman. His mother joined Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma Wednesday afternoon to speak about the arrest.
She said her son's addiction started with pain pills prescribed after a car crash and evolved into a dependence on opioids.
Wiggins' mother went on to say she knew the pills helped with his pain but said she regrets not confronting him about the drug use. "I wasn't nosy enough. I wish I had asked more questions," she said.
She fought back tears describing her son's love of the outdoors and his family.
"It most definitely can happen to anybody," his mother said.