WOMAN'S DEATH Police are still debating charges

The woman had a mixture of a cold remedy and a narcotic in her system.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Police are still trying to decide if charges will be filed in the death of a woman whose body was found last month along Neshannock Avenue.
A hiker discovered Alicia DeRosa's body Sept. 26.
An autopsy revealed that drugs were a contributing factor in her death, but DeRosa's death has been ruled accidental, said Lawrence County Coroner Russell S. Noga.
Noga said an autopsy revealed the 25-year-old Arlington Avenue woman had bronchial pneumonia.
Drugs used
A mixture of a cold remedy and Fentanyl, a narcotic often used to treat pain in cancer patients, were found in her system, he said.
"She was probably pretreating herself for [a cold] and didn't know she had pneumonia. She likely put herself in a coma by taking the Fentanyl, and that caused her pneumonia to get worse," Noga said.
Noga said they believe DeRosa was dead before her body was put in the woods. She was apparently staying with friends in Beaver County when she slipped into a coma, he said.
New Castle Police Chief Tom Sansone said he is waiting for the Beaver County police and district attorney to decide if charges will be filed in that county.
They should know by early next week, he said.
Noga said this is the 17th drug-related death in the county this year. He said toxicology reports are pending on two other deaths that also may be drug related.
Last year there were only seven drug-related deaths in Lawrence County, the coroner said.
cioffi@vindy.com