Minnesota Man 'Injected His 82-Year-Old Mom With Fentanyl,' Charged With Murder

A nationwide search warrant has been issued for a Minnesota man who allegedly injected his 82-year-old mother with fentanyl, causing her death.

The Hennepin County District Court on Friday charged Scott Alan Henkel, 62, with third-degree murder, four felony drug-related counts, and one count of illegal firearm possession, Star Tribune reported.

Police said they responded to a medical emergency at Henkel’s home on the 7600 block of Edinborough Way on Nov. 7, 2020, around 1.36 p.m. On arrival, they found Carol L. Henkel not breathing. She had no pulse either. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

When questioned, Henkel said his mother had fallen several times recently and that he had given her Aleve, an over-the-counter pain reliever, around 2 a.m. According to the man, he then left for a morning errand and found his mother unresponsive when he returned home. That's when he called 911, he claimed.

According to court documents, the Medical Examiner's Office initially turned the elderly woman’s body over to a funeral home after determining that "the death appeared to be natural." However, one of her daughters told police that Henkel was a drug user and "may have injected his mother with heroin."

A toxicology report found "unexplained fentanyl" in Carol Henkel's system, and determined that to be the cause of death. After analyzing the woman’s medication list, experts concluded that there was no reason for the drug to be present in her body, the Star Tribune report said.

Also, there was no trace of Aleve in the woman’s body, prosecutors said.

Following this, the house that Henkel shared with his mother was searched. Officers found significant amounts of methamphetamine, marijuana, THC edibles, THC wax, and mushrooms. Investigators also found a loaded .358 magnum and alleged drug ledger in the residence, according to reports.

While Henkel admitted to police that the drugs were his, he denied selling or sharing them. He also denied giving his mother anything other than Aleve and feigned ignorance as to how fentanyl might have ended up in her system.

However, officers found out that Henkel had texted someone via the Signal app on Oct. 24, 2020, if someone had "any luck on the oxi" because his mother was "in pain," according to the criminal complaint. The court documents say black market oxycodone pills can contain fentanyl.

Following this, Henkel was charged with third-degree murder, suggesting that he did not intend to kill his mother. According to the complaint, he has been prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a 2000 drug-related felony conviction.