Did Ava Hulett, Estero, Tampa, Florida teen die of a drug overdose that was forced on her after visiting Fort Myers bar? Homicide investigation launched.
A Florida teenager who died in her sleep after a night out with friends at a bar earlier this month is now being investigated as a possible homicide.
Ava Hulett, 19, was pronounced dead at her family’s home in Estero, just hours after she was released from the hospital after suffering a ‘medical’ incident at Pelican Larry’s Raw Bar and Grill in the early hours of June 15 at the Fort Myers entity.
Lee County detectives have now launched an investigation into the death, according to Anthony Rickman, a Tampa attorney representing the family.
Foul play suspected?
While police have declined to release a cause or manner of death it is thought that the girl’s death is the result of a possible drug overdose death following claims that there were overdoses from the venue the evening Ava visited the bar.
Not immediately clear is whether a narcotic or unknown substance was forced onto the the 19 year old.
Hulett is the younger sister of Bradley Hulett, who was inadvertently shot and killed by a friend while playing video games in 2019.
Now the Hulett family is mourning the death of their second eldest child.
Hulett along with at least one friend were transported to the hospital for treatment while at Pelican Larry’s Raw Bar and Grill in Fort Myers early June 15.
Hulett was released from the hospital later that day, but would be found dead just hours later.
At about 12:20 pm, her mother found her unresponsive at home, according to Rickman.
The mom called police while her husband performed CPR until first responders arrived on the scene but Ava was pronounced dead at 12:31 pm, The Tampa Bay reported.
‘She had just turned 19 last week, a few days before she died. She was looking forward to starting school, starting her adult life,’ said Rickman.
Drug overdose death?
Ava’s mother, Meagan Hulett, addressed her daughter’s death in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
She emphasized that her daughter did not commit suicide and believes she mistakenly took a substance that killed her.
‘She was conscious after the event and even said to me, ‘I don’t want to die,’ the post said. ‘She was scared.’
According to her mother, there were reports of ‘other overdoses’ at the same bar the evening of Hulett’s death – which is why the police deemed it a possible homicide case.
‘No parent should ever outlive their children, and these two parents are outliving two of their children, and it’s just horrific that they’re going through this again,’ said Rickman, the family’s lawyer since Bradley was killed.
But the sheriff’s office stated there is no sign that Pelican Larry’s Raw Bar and Grill in Fort Myers caused any intentional harm to their customers or any other signs of foul play.
‘At this time, there is no indication that the staff at the business or its operations caused harm to their patrons,’ the statement read.
Ava was described as a free-spirited friend who lit up every room and lived ‘unapologetically.’
The Drug Homicide Investigation unit is now investigating the incident.
Detectives await the toxicology results to determine Hulett’s cause of death following an autopsy.
A CDC report found there were a record 107,941 deaths from overdoses in 2022, which is the most recent data available — the equivalent of 295 fatalities per day and up one percent on the year before.
Fentanyl was the main force behind the surge — which is fatal in even in tiny doses — with the illicit drug behind nearly 70 percent of the fatalities.
