A 29-year-old Alabama woman who texted a friend saying “I feel in trouble” after leaving a Birmingham bar with two men in December died of an accidental overdose, say officials.
On Thursday, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office announced in a statement that the cause of death for Paighton Houston of Trussville was morphine and methamphetamine toxicity and that it was accidental, NBC News first reported.
“This represents an overdose and is classified as a drug-opioid death,” Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said in the statement obtained by PEOPLE.
The news came a day after authorities arrested convicted sex offender Frederick Hampton, 50, charging him with abuse of a corpse. Hampton is also under investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service for possible federal violations.
Houston was last seen December 20th leaving The Tin Roof bar in Birmingham with two men, including Hampton, according to police. Hours later, police say she sent a text message to a friend that said, “Idk who im with so if I call please answer. I feel in trouble,” The Trussville Tribune reports.
She was reported missing on December 21st. On January 3rd, Houston’s body was found wrapped in sheets in a shallow grave behind an unoccupied home in Hueytown that belongs to Hampton’s family, the US Marshals Service says in a statement.
It is unclear whether Hampton has retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf. He will remain in custody in Ohio until he is extradited back to Alabama.
