Death of Samantha Reid

Samantha Reid (January 2, 1984 – January 17, 1999) was an American date-rape victim. She grew up in the Detroit, Michigan Metropolitan Area and came to national attention due to her death, at the age of 15, after being drugged.

For the Australian swimmer, see Samantha Reid (synchronized swimmer).

Summary

In the company of three young men at another man's apartment, Samantha Reid and her friends, Melanie Sindone and Jessica VanWassehnova, were offered drinks.[1] Samantha and Melanie both asked for Mountain Dew.[1] The young men brought them the cocktails, to which they had added either gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) or gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).[1] Melanie stated that her face became numb soon afterward, and then she and Samantha both passed out.[1] The boys initially thought nothing was wrong, since GHB and alcohol can cause anyone drinking them to pass out if they drink too much of them, and this is usually not considered a medical emergency. However, Jessica later noticed that they were having difficulty breathing. The boys eventually drove them to a hospital, but Samantha stopped breathing on the way there. Both girls were put on life-support; Reid died roughly 18 hours later.[1][2]

Trial

The four men were charged with manslaughter as well as related offenses.[1] Three were convicted of manslaughter as well as poisoning while the fourth was convicted of being an accessory.[1] The manslaughter convictions were later quashed on appeal although the poisoning convictions were upheld.[2]

Outcome

Reid's death inspired the legislation titled the "Hillory J. Farias and Samantha Reid Date-Rape Drug Prohibition Act of 2000". This law categorized GHB as a Schedule I controlled substance according to the Controlled Substance Act.[3] However, FDA-approved products containing sodium oxybate, such as Xyrem are regulated under schedule III. [4]

References
  1. Irwin, Jim (15 March 2000). "Four Convicted in Date-Rape Case". AP News. New York: The Associated Press. AP Detroit. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  2. Moses, Alexandra R. (28 March 2003). "Mich. Date-Rape Death Charges Tossed". Midland Daily News. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  3. "H.R. 2130 (106th): Hillory J. Farias and Samantha Reid Date-Rape Drug Prohibition Act of 2000". govtrack.us.
  4. "Xyrem (Sodium oxybate) Information". FDA. 9 February 2019.
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