Whitney Purvis Arrested After Alleged Role In Fatal Overdose

Whitney Purvis, 33, formerly on MTV’s 16 & Pregnant, was arrested and booked into the Floyd County Jail on charges. They include aggravated involuntary manslaughter, distribution of a controlled substance, and use of a communication device to commit a felony. Read on for more details.

The Crime & Arrest

The Sun US reported that authorities revealed a February incident led to the death of 34-year-old John Mark Harris. He allegedly overdosed on a street drug mixture known as “Tranq.” It’s a combination of fentanyl and xylazine, and was allegedly supplied to him by the MTV alum.  

The Drug Enforcement Administration, along with local law enforcement, carried out the arrest at Purvis’s home on July 7. The warrant stated that she “intentionally distributed a substance presented as Tranq… which directly contributed to the victim’s death due to a toxic overdose”

Unfortunate News After Son’s Death

The arrest news comes barely more than a month after Purvis publicly mourned the death of her 16‑year‑old son, Weston Gosa Jr., who passed away in June.

The cause of his death hasn’t been disclosed, though Purvis accused his father and stepmother of excluding her from funeral arrangements. The duo denied her claim, but in any event it just have been upsetting for her. 

Whitney Purvis, first appeared on MTV in 2009,and she’s been in trouble with the law in the past. She was arrested for shoplifting and faced allegation of unpaid child support.

In fact, the new arrest is the fourth time she’s been involved with the cops. As the death involves an opioid, this time she could end up serving time behind bars as authorities try to curb the supply of the drugs that increasingly take lives.

Held Without Bond

Since the charges, Whitney Purvis doesn’t seem to have entered a plea and she hasn’t made any statement about her arrest. At the moment she is being held without bond, and a court date has been set. She can probably expect the prosecution to go hard on her because of the fatal outcome.

Fans had hoped that Whitney was settling down. She got a job as a DoorDash driver and shared normal pics on social media that showed her cooking, parenting, and community volunteering.

Fans React 

When the latest news reached Reddit, it was shared by u/Careful-Rock-3505 and plenty of people had their say about it. One MTV fan said, “I remember her from season 1. So sad.”

Here are a few more reactions:

• If she’s guilty, she’s going to do time. I was surprised to learn that she was involved with this sh-t. But apparently, she has prior’s, so that’s not gonna help her out.
• I worked on an overdose response team in Philly for 2 years. Tranq is NO joke. This entire situation is a mess and I feel very sad for her, and everyone involved.
• She’s been on that spiral for years. Unfortunately she has nobody sober in her corner.

What are your thoughts? Sound off in the comments below, and come back here often for all your 16 & Pregnant cast news and updates.