How Connecticut police tied an alleged drug dealer to a college student’s death

Text message correspondences, video surveillance and DNA evidence led authorities to an alleged drug dealer during a five-month investigation following the tragic death of a Central Connecticut State University student in February.

Brandon Maynard, 22, of Danbury, was arrested last week on charges of second-degree manslaughter and sale of a controlled substance after CCSU detectives were allegedly able to tie him to the cocaine and fentanyl Saradina “Sara” Redman used before she was found unresponsive in the university’s F. Don James Residence Hall on Feb. 26 around 9:52 a.m., according to the arrest warrant affidavit in the case.

Investigators with the CCSU Police Department used cell phone records and surveillance footage to retrace the hours that led to Redman’s death, the affidavit said. Redman, a 21-year-old senior from Indonesia who was studying bio-molecular science, was pronounced dead at about 11:02 a.m. at the Hospital of Central Connecticut. An autopsy ruled on March 28 that her death was an accident caused by the combined effects of fentanyl, cocaine and olanzapine, according to the warrant affidavit.

But even before the autopsy was concluded investigators had searched Redman’s dorm room and a common bathroom and found a white straw that was melted on one end, a cylindrical vial with possible white residue inside, a clear piece of cellophane, folded pieces of foil with burnt areas and an empty bottle of a medication that had been prescribed to her, according to the warrant affidavit. Detectives noted in the affidavit that some of the items suggested use of illegal narcotics and began trying to find the source of the narcotics.

Upon examining Redman’s cell phone with a search and seizure warrant, authorities found that she communicated with a contact saved as “Brandon” the night before she died. At about 9:26 p.m., the contact sent a text message to Redman indicating he was “headed there now” before telling her he was “pullin (sic) up” about 15 minutes later, the affidavit said.

Detectives noted in the warrant affidavit that the text message correspondences were consistent with video surveillance footage that showed Redman waited in the lobby of her residence hall for a few minutes before approaching a motorist who pulled outside of the building at about 9:45 p.m.

According to the affidavit, Redman leaned into the vehicle for about 30 seconds before heading back to her residence hall and sending a text message to “Brandon” asking “which one is the fent.”

Detectives were able to use the phone number saved under “Brandon” to tie it to Maynard, as he was arrested by Hartford police on April 12 on possession and possession with intent to sell charges after investigators coordinated a controlled drug purchase with him through the same phone number, the warrant affidavit said. Maynard has never been a student at CCSU, according to a university spokesperson.

CCSU authorities also discovered Redman sent $65 using CashApp to someone using a username allegedly tied to Maynard about 40 minutes before he told her through a text message he was on his way. Police also found that a vehicle matching the description of the one Redman leaned into outside of her dorm building was registered to Maynard’s relative, who confirmed to authorities she had loaned the vehicle to Maynard, according to the affidavit.

CCSU police in April seized Maynard’s cell phone and examined it, finding data consistent with the text message correspondences between he and Redman as well as other text messages with another person that indicated he allegedly was involved in the sale of drugs, the affidavit said. The GPS data on the phone also indicated Maynard was on the CCSU campus the night before Redman was found unresponsive.

Authorities also noted that Maynard’s DNA was allegedly found on a cylindrical container discovered at the scene, according to the warrant.

Maynard agreed to speak with investigators when they collected a DNA sample from him on May 24, at which point he allegedly admitted to supplying Redman with “weed and coke” but denied ever giving her fentanyl, according to the warrant affidavit.

Redman – who was remembered with a moment of silence at CCSU in March and the tolling of the university’s clock tower bells – also had text message correspondences with her boyfriend and a friend in Indonesia that spanned from the night before she was found unresponsive into the early morning hours in which she referenced being “high” and telling her boyfriend that she was sweating and very hot despite having a window open and the heat off, according to the affidavit.

During a text conversation with a friend, Redman told her she just bought “coke and fent,” referring to the latter as a “deadly drug” and adding that she “can’t believe I have it,” according to the warrant.

Redman stopped responding to her boyfriend at about 2:27 a.m. the morning she was found without a pulse after earlier sending a photo that showed her face was “red and sweating,” according to the warrant. The boyfriend told investigators he assumed she had fallen asleep.

The warrant for Maynard’s arrest was signed by a judge on Aug. 3. He was arrested by CCSU police six days later and remains held on $150,000 bond. He did not enter a plea to the charges he faces during a hearing in New Britain Superior Court last week.

Maynard is due back in New Britain for a court appearance next Thursday, August 24.

The drug charges he faces stemming from a Hartford arrest are still pending. He is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Tuesday, August 22.