Teen Allegedly Went To Meet A Man For Drugs And Sex, Hours Later, She Was Found Dead In The Grass

A teen died from a drug overdose and now the person with her when she used narcotics faces a murder charge, authorities said.

On Nov. 19, 2021, deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Florida responded to a grassy area behind the Countryside Recreation Center in Clearwater, Florida, for a report of a dead person.

Construction workers found the victim when they arrived at the scene. She was identified as 16-year-old Meghan Cooper, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies spent a year investigating and determined that 25-year-old Robert Gullo made arraignments to meet Cooper to do cocaine and have sex.

Police said Gullo picked up Cooper at her home and drove to his residence. They then left and went to the rec center, according to the sheriff’s office. Gullo’s ankle GPS monitor helped track his movements.

Cooper died with four times the lethal amount of Fentanyl in her system, according to the sheriff’s office. There was no cocaine found.

Fentanyl is a powerful drug, but a small amount can be deadly. Sometimes it is used in place of traditional narcotics without the victim being aware.

This month, a grand jury indicted Gullo on a first-degree murder charge.

“Addiction is a terrible problem that people have. So – it’s against this backdrop, especially to the young people who are easily preyed on by older people, don’t take drugs from someone like this. You have no idea what’s in it and – in the case of Meaghan Cooper – it will literally kill you,” Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said.