Nearly two years after the decomposing body of a Cody man was found in a house after a weekend drug bender with a female friend, the woman has turned herself in to authorities.
Brooke Messick said she wanted to “take accountability for my actions” and admitted she had not “felt like a good person” since the man’s death, according to an affidavit of probable cause made available Wednesday in Park County Circuit Court.
The last thing Messick says she remembers hearing before leaving a house after a prolonged drug binge was a guy "snoring loudly," something law enforcement says is a telltale sign of an opiate overdose.
Now the Cody woman is sitting in the Park County Detention Center charged with involuntary manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance after investigators say she admitted giving methadone to a man who was later found dead and decomposing in his bed.
Messick, who was charged Wednesday, is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond. Conditions of her release prohibit her from leaving Park County or using illegal substances.
'The Deceased Had Begun To Decompose'
By the time investigators were called to the home on 20th Street in Cody after a resident reported finding a dead man, his corpse had already begun to decompose, says the affidavit, written by Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent J.W. Mcloud.
They believe the man may have been dead for about three days before his body was discovered on Aug. 17, 2024, according to the affidavit.
Detectives found meth and drug paraphernalia scattered through the residence and a small amount of meth in the bed next to the body.
Toxicology later delivered the hard answer: The man died from what the death certificate called “mixed illicit drug toxicity” involving methadone and meth.
Investigators say multiple confidential sources identified Messick as one of the last people to see the man alive.
'lmaaoooo'
One source told investigators Messick had talked about the man “snoring” and worrying he may have overdosed before his body was discovered, the affidavit says.
Another source claimed Messick admitted she had provided methadone around the time of his death and “snuck out” of the residence afterward.
During an October 2024 interview with investigators, Messick allegedly denied giving the man methadone, though she acknowledged spending most of the weekend with him while they used fentanyl and meth together, according to court documents.
Investigators later searched Messick’s phone and reported finding messages they believed showed attempts to sell or distribute controlled substances in Park County, including methadone.
The affidavit also says investigators found internet searches related to injecting methadone and methadone tablets.
A Snapchat message recovered during the investigation showed a message allegedly sent by Messick to the man at 12:19 p.m. Aug. 14, 2024, after she had left the residence.
“I tried to wake you up and let you know that I had to head out but you wouldn’t wake up lmaaoooo but don’t worry you were snoring and breathing so I didn’t narcan you :)” the message stated, as recorded in the affidavit.
Alarm Bells Went Off
Investigators also reviewed activity from the dead man's cellphone, including alarm logs that showed an 8 a.m. alarm sounding for roughly 15 minutes the morning of Aug. 14 without being shut off.
Investigators believed he was already incapacitated or dead by that point, wrote Mcloud.
The case took another turn Monday, nearly two years after the man's death, when investigators say Messick voluntarily appeared at the Cody Law Enforcement Center wanting to “turn herself in” regarding the DCI investigation.
She reportedly told investigators she and the man had spent the weekend “off and on getting high together” and that she gave him what she described as a “small dose” of methadone sometime around 10 or 11 p.m. the night before she left.
Messick reportedly said she woke up the next morning around 11 a.m. and found him still snoring heavily.
She told police that before she left the property, she went back in the house in a final attempt to wake the man, but he didn't wake up.
“I was distraught. I did not know what to do," she told police, according to the affidavit.
'I Did Not Do What Was Right'
Investigators say Messick also admitted cleaning up drug paraphernalia linked to fentanyl and other opiates before leaving the house.
At various points during the interview, Messick said she believed she had “neglected someone” and that "I did not do what was right.”
The interview ended after Messick requested an attorney.
If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Messick could face up to 20 years in prison under Wyoming law. She also faces a felony delivery of a controlled substance charge connected to methadone distribution allegations.
Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 4 at 10 a.m.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
