Bay County Jail inmate pleads guilty to administering fatal dose of fentanyl to fellow inmate

BAY CITY, Mich. — A Bay County Jail inmate has pleaded guilty to administering a fatal dose of a dangerous opiate to a fellow inmate.

35-year-old Kristin I. Campau appeared before Bay County District Judge Joseph C. Sheeran and pleaded guilty to a single count of involuntary manslaughter and possession of contraband by a prisoner. The charges carry 15 and 5 years in prison, respectively.

Prosecutors agreed to dismiss a felony count of delivery of a controlled substance causing death in exchange for Campau’s plea. They also agreed not to seek enhanced sentences for habitual criminals.

Campau’s convictions are related to the death of Jessica L. Ayers, a 41-year-old mother of four.

Between 4 and 4:30 a.m. on October 28, 2023, an inmate at 503 Third St. triggered an alarm in her cell after Ayers, her cellmate, received medical treatment, said Sheriff Troy R. Cunningham. Correctional officers entered the cell and administered aid, but Ayers died before she could be taken to the hospital, the sheriff said.

Investigators determined that Campau supplied drugs to Ayers. Campau was booked into the jail on Oct. 26 on multiple warrants.

According to Cunningham, Campau was already in possession of drugs when she arrived at the jail. According to him, a routine personal search did not lead to the discovery of drugs.

According to the sheriff, Ayers likely ingested the drugs shortly after correctional officers completed their hourly rounds of the cell.

An autopsy revealed that Ayers died of fentanyl poisoning, with 26 nanograms of the substance in her blood.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is commonly mixed with heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine or made into pills similar to prescription painkillers.

Fentanyl has become the leading cause of death in the United States responsible for most of the 105,000 overdose deaths reported between November 2022 and November 2023. The US Drug Enforcement Agency warned that six out of 10 counterfeit prescription pills tested two years ago had a potentially fatal dose of fentanyl.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there were estimated at 109,680 drug overdose deaths nationwide in 2022, up from 109,179 in 2021. An estimated 68% involved synthetic opioids, mainly illicitly manufactured fentanyl.

In Bay County, fatal drug overdoses increased 12.54% from 2020 to 2021, claiming the lives of 42 people between the ages of 16 and 70. Of these deaths, 33 were related to the presence of fentanyl.

Bay County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. William Morron in April issued a public health consultation after six overdoses within 11 days. Morrone is the medical examiner for Bay, Tuscola, Midland, Iosco and Arenac counties.

Morrone encouraged a five-step plan for users to prevent fatal overdoses, with the first and fifth steps being the same: start drug addiction treatment. Second, get Narcan, an opiate antagonist that reverses overdose. Third, do not use drugs alone. Fourth, purchase test strips that will show the presence of fentanyl in the substances.

Ayers spent almost a year in jail after being arrested and charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, not murder.

In 2017, a Kent County judge sentenced Ayers to 30 to 90 months in prison for first-degree retail fraud. Ayers was paroled by the Michigan Department of Corrections in July 2019. While on parole, Ayers stabbed two people in November 2019, resulting in two concurrent 182-day prison terms.

Ayers was again paroled by the MDOC in January 2022, and she was to remain there until February 2024.

Ayers had a creative spirit and was known for her positivity.

“Jessica’s creativity knew no bounds” her obituary state “Her love of music and art was evident in everything she did. She was a dancer at heart, and her joy in movement was contagious.”

In addition to her four children, Ayers is survived by her fiancé, a grandson, her mother and three siblings.

Judge Sheeran is due to sentence Campau on December 23.