DEATH OF SOUTHLAKE TEEN COULD BE LINKED TO HEROIN

SOUTHLAKE -- A 19-year-old Southlake man who had a history of heroin use
died yesterday at a Grapevine hospital after he was found unconscious in
bed, authorities said.

Steven Leath was pronounced dead at Baylor Medical Center at Grapevine,
about 40 minutes after a relative called 911, authorities said. Small marks
that appeared to be made from a needle were found between his toes, police
said.

"He had gone to rehabilitation," said his mother, Gaynell Leath of
Southlake. "But we don't know what killed him. It's hard to say."

Steven Leath was found unconscious in his bed by his grandmother at 7 a.m.
yesterday, authorities said. He was not breathing, they said. "She yelled
out for help and then called 911," said Robert Finn, a spokesman with the
Southlake Department of Public Safety.

"During the 911 call, she said that he may have overdosed on an unknown
type of drug," Finn said. "At this point, we don't know what he took."

DPS officers searched Steven Leath's bedroom but found no drug paraphernalia.

Last year, there were six heroin-related deaths in greater Northeast
Tarrant County. Since October 1996, 16 deaths involving greater Northeast
Tarrant have been linked to heroin.

Steven Leath went out with friends Sunday night and returned about 10 p.m.
Sunday, family members said.

His grandmother heard him snoring about 2 a.m. yesterday, Finn said. "There
were no signs of foul play or anything like that," Finn said. "It'll take
some time before we find out how he died."

Steven Leath had smoked marijuana through the years, family members said.
Finn said that investigators learned through interviews with Leath's
relatives that the teen had also used heroin.

The most recent string of heroin-related deaths began Sept. 29 when a
32-year-old Bedford woman died as the result of a mixture of drugs,
including heroin and cocaine, authorities said.

In October and November, the deaths of four Northeast Tarrant residents --
a 21-year-old Haltom City man, an 18- year-old Bedford woman, a 19-
year-old North Richland Hills woman and a 48-year-old Bedford man -- were
linked to heroin, according to autopsy reports.

Domingo Ramirez Jr., (817) 685-3822