CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — First Coast News on Tuesday obtained the Clay County Sheriff’s Office’s full investigative report into the January death of an 11-year-old boy, who investigators said died of a drug overdose.
The new 81-page report says the medical examiner's office ruled Rylan Wise’s death a suicide "due to the amount [of Methadone] in his system and the history of suicide threats and depression." The examiner also found self-inflicted cuts on Rylan’s left arm.
According to the report, one of Rylan’s family members told investigators he had “not been the same since his parents split up.” His parents have split custody of Rylan and his three younger siblings.
On the night of Jan. 10, Rylan got into an argument with his father, Larry Wise, at his house, according to Wise’s girlfriend.
She told the sheriff's office she then saw “Larry physically push Rylan into his room” – where he was supposed to stay as punishment for failing grades.
The next day, the report says, Wise’s girlfriend and Rylan’s younger sister checked on him a few times, but by her account "Rylan had no movement or response the entire day." Wise and his girlfriend told investigators they thought Rylan was playing “opossum.”
The ME office estimates Rylan’s time of death to have been 12 to 24 hours before his father called 911 – after finding Rylan unresponsive on the morning of Jan. 12.
The sheriff’s office noted blood coming from the boy’s nose and a large amount of blood on the pillow of his bed. Investigators say “there was a single methadone pill discovered lying in some of the clothes in the closet.”
It is unclear how Rylan ended up with the Methadone, a schedule II painkiller used in the treatment of opioid addiction.
However, the report says that Rylan could have taken it from his father’s room or vehicle, because the investigation revealed "Wise was in possession of Methadone pills." Investigators say they also found “several items of drug paraphernalia” in Wise and his girlfriend’s bedroom and bathroom the day of Rylan's death.
According to the report, there were no signs of trauma or evidence that anyone gave Rylan the pills. There was also no neglect in this case, investigators say, because Rylan was already dead during the period he was being checked on. Therefore, there have been no criminal charges filed in this case.
There is still a parental petition case regarding custody of Rylan's siblings. During a hearing Tuesday, the Larry Wise's attorney asked to be relieved of his responsibility. The parents are scheduled to be in court again in two weeks.
Wise was arrested Monday night on drug-related charges in a separate case. He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving damage, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of cocaine, according to an arrest report.