A Wasilla man is accused of selling a teenage girl fentanyl and then abandoning her on a snowy trail in the middle of the night after she overdosed, authorities say.
Sean Mobley, 45, was arrested Wednesday on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and first-degree misconduct involving controlled substances in the November death of 16-year-old Alena Toennis, troopers said in a statement.
“A thorough investigation by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation determined that Mobley provided fentanyl to Toennis before he abandoned her on a Wasilla trail as she was experiencing an overdose,” troopers said in the statement. “She ultimately died as a result of the overdose from the fentanyl that Mobley provided her.”
Troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel said Friday that Mobley’s arrest followed months of effort by half a dozen AST units, all of which took solving Toennis’ death seriously.
“Anyone that is trafficking dangerous drugs in our state, whether it be fentanyl, meth, heroin, cocaine, know that sooner or later, one of the dozens of Alaska State Troopers that are dedicated to disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking operations are going to catch up to you,” McDaniel said. “And we're going to hold you accountable for the destruction that you're causing in our state.”
RELATED: Fairbanks man's fatal fentanyl overdose leads to life sentence for California dealer
Although nationwide fentanyl overdose rates have been falling, they remain elevated in Alaska, according to data released late last year. Law enforcement authorities say higher profits from Alaska sales continue to fuel shipments of drugs from Outside, with federal prosecutors saying fentanyl can cost $100 to $200 a pill by the time it reaches rural communities like Dillingham or Savoonga.
In a charging document against Mobley, troopers said they received word shortly before 7:30 a.m. Nov. 15 that Toennis’ body had been found along an ATV trail near Grumman Circle and Sierra Street.
“(Toennis) was dressed in pink shorts, a black crop-top, and lightweight jacket, not typical clothing for the weather,” prosecutors said.
No obvious injuries were found on Toennis’ body, prosecutors said. The state medical examiner’s office determined that she was killed by toxic effects from meth and carfentanil – a fentanyl derivative typically used as a veterinary tranquilizer – with hypothermia as a contributing condition. A tenth of a gram of meth, wrapped in tin foil, was found in her clothes during her autopsy.
According to the charges, troopers learned that Toennis had bought meth the previous evening. That evening, Mobley had allegedly sold fentanyl to a man, then took a call from Toennis asking to buy some as well. The two arranged to meet in the parking lot of a nearby business.
Just after Toennis got into Mobley’s pickup truck and the vehicle drove off, an associate of Mobley’s learned that the first fentanyl buyer had overdosed, prosecutors wrote in the charges. The associate visited the man to administer Narcan, then contacted Mobley and told him not to give any of the drug to Toennis, charges say.
Prosecutors said Mobley told troopers that he was with Toennis for about 30 minutes, and that she didn’t use any drugs before she got out of his truck and into another man’s car.
But troopers said data from Mobley and Toennis’ cellphones, along with area surveillance video, showed otherwise.
“Mobley’s cellphone and vehicle were in the area of (Toennis’) body in her final minutes alive with indications she was alive when left on the trail in the snow, which troopers estimate was between 11/14/2024 at 2355 hours and 11/15/2024 at 0013 hours ,” prosecutors wrote. “Her phone movements matched his.”
McDaniel declined to say Friday whether additional charges in the case were pending against Mobley or any other suspects.
He underscored how potent and dangerous fentanyl is.
“There's no such thing as a good batch of fentanyl,” he said. “There's no such thing as a good batch of meth, good batch of heroin or good batch of carfentanil. They're all bad batches. They are all very dangerous drugs.”
Troopers’ first statement on Toennis’ death described it as suspicious. In a series of subsequent updates over the winter, they requested more information from the public, as her family also pleaded for answers.
Alaska’s News Source reported that Toennis’ aunt and uncle said the teenager had long struggled with drug addiction and mental health issues. She was addicted to drugs at birth, they said, and they struggled to find her the adequate help she needed.
“I feel like the system failed her,” her aunt told the TV station. “I would say there needs to be more mental health facilities for youth that are struggling, like Alena struggled.”
Mobley was being held Friday at the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility.
