FAIRMONT — A Truman man has been charged in Martin County with third-degree murder in the Aug. 19 overdose death of Mariah Lynn Miller, 24, of Fairmont.

A Welcome man has been charged with aiding the crime.

The men were arrested Tuesday by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force, Truman Police Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension following an investigation into Miller’s death.

Troy Michael Meeker, 51, of Truman is charged with murder in the third degree, which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He also has been charged with manslaughter in the second degree, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Dominic Terel Williams, 26, of Welcome has been charged with aiding an offender in murder in the third degree, which carries a maximum penalty of 12 and a half years in prison and a $20,000 fine. He also has been charged with aiding an offender in manslaughter, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the complaint:

On Aug. 19, police were dispatched to a residence in the 100 block of West Ciro Street in Truman on a report of a deceased female. The reporting party, later identified as Meeker, indicated he found the body of Miller inside his residence.

Upon arrival, a Martin County Sheriff’s deputy spoke with Meeker, who indicated Miller had been staying at his residence on and off since Aug. 9.

Meeker said Miller returned to his residence on the morning of Aug. 18 and was “acting weird.” He said he thought she was either high on drugs or drunk. Meeker said Miller was known to take opioids and meth.

Meeker said that at about 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. Aug. 18, he left his house, and Miller was lying on the floor. Meeker said Miller was alive at that time.

He said he came home about 4 a.m. Aug. 19 and went to bed.

Meeker said his bed was in the same room Miller was in. He woke up about 9 a.m. He said he exited the room to make a cup of coffee. When he returned, he discovered Miller was dead.

Officers entered Meeker’s building. Inside was an antique business. Officers walked downstairs to the basement where there was a makeshift bedroom. As a deputy entered the room, he observed the body, completely nude, lying on the floor, legs partially covered by a sheet, and a pair of bright-colored shorts next to her. Miller was positioned with her face pointed toward the ceiling. Officers checked for a pulse and determined Miller was dead.

Officers from the Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force and Bureau of Criminal Apprehension were dispatched to the scene.

Meeker agreed to give investigators a formal statement and was transported to the Martin County Law Enforcement Center. Meeker said he was aware that Miller used illegal substances. Meeker said he had given her meth about two weeks prior. During the interview, Meeker openly admitted to being a drug dealer in the past, but said he stopped 10 days prior and no drugs would be found at his residence.

Meeker said that on Aug. 18, he and Miller had a sexual encounter and she ended up on the floor nude. He said he got her a pillow and a blanket and left his house between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., and at that time she seemed all right.

Meeker said his friend, Williams, had picked him up from his home. He said that around 1 a.m. he went to Fairmont to hang out with a friend. Meeker said he called for a taxi ride back to Truman, and arrived home around 3 a.m. on Aug. 19. Meeker again said he had gone to sleep with Miller still lying on the floor, awoke at 9 a.m. and discovered Miller was dead, calling 911 for assistance at about 9:30 a.m.

On Aug. 20, officers drafted a search warrant for Meeker’s residence. Upon entering, officers noted the residence appeared to be in a cleaned condition, with a vacuum sitting at the bottom of the stairs next to a pile of cleaning products. A large amount of laundry looked like it had been recently washed and folded.

Agents found an orange hypodermic needle cover in the bedroom about 5 feet from where Miller’s body was found, but no items of used drug paraphernalia were located in the residence.

On Aug. 20, agents spoke with Williams, who said he gave Meeker a ride to Fairmont on Aug. 18. He said Meeker contacted him at 8:30 p.m. or 9 p.m. and wanted to go to his friend’s house. When Williams asked about Miller, Williams said Meeker had told him she was at the residence and she was sick.

Williams said that later that night, during a phone call, Meeker told him she was dead. Agents told Williams they believed he knew and had possibly seen the body of Miller. Williams then said he came into the residence and Meeker told him he thought Miller was sick. When he asked Meeker how sick Miller was, Meeker said he thought she had overdosed. Williams said he saw her body and thought it was weird that she had not looked over. Williams denied moving or touching Miller.

Williams said Meeker told him they had both shot up, but he did not say how much. Williams said that at some point he opened a bottle of water and splashed Miller, to see if she would move, and she did not.

Williams also said Meeker left with a pull suitcase and a little glasses bag, and he dropped Meeker off at his friend’s house at around 10 p.m. Williams denied that Meeker ever asked him to move the body.

On Aug. 19, a controlled call was placed by Williams to Meeker and Williams was instructed by agents to send him a message to see if he would talk. Meeker called Williams immediately and told him not to say a word to anybody. During the conversation, Meeker told Williams to tell officers that he took him to Welcome and a few other places.

On Aug. 21, agents spoke to the friend whose house Meeker had visited. The woman said she and two girlfriends were at the residence when Meeker came over on Aug. 18. She said Meeker told her Miller was dead and he would need to chop up the body.

She also said Meeker told her he shot Miller up because she could not do it herself. She said she heard Miller herself talk about being unable to inject herself.

Law enforcement also obtained a recording between Meeker and the woman from Aug. 30 in which Meeker said he knew Miller was overdosing at 2 p.m. Aug. 18. Meeker told the woman that he told Miller she was dying and there was nothing he could do for her. Meeker also told the woman that he told Miller he would not get arrested, and that he got rid of any “dope” in his place.

Law enforcement had a second conversation with Williams in which he admitted he touched Miller to check for a pulse and believed she was dead on Aug. 18. Williams said he did not clean up anything for Meeker.

Law enforcement spoke to a woman who said she was at Meeker’s residence on Aug. 18. She said Williams brought her to Meeker’s place to sell an antique for cash and meth. She said a female was in the basement area and it sounded like she could not breathe.

The woman said Williams and Meeker were using meth that night in the basement. She said Williams told her to take his vehicle and drive to another person’s trailer in Welcome. She said Williams and Meeker later arrived at the trailer and Williams told her Miller had died and he had to move her body, and they came to Welcome for an alibi.

An autopsy was performed on Miller. It revealed a positive result for meth in her blood and a final anatomic diagnosis including methamphetamine toxicity.