BRADFORD, Pa. — A Rochester, N.Y., man was in the McKean County Jail on drug charges possibly linked to a woman’s overdose death in 2021.
Brady Pysadee, 26, is charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, a felony, and possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.
According to the criminal complaint, Pysadee had sold cocaine to Mercedes Simonds, who overdosed and died June 17, 2021, from a mix of cocaine and fentanyl, the complaint stated.
At 6:01 a.m. June 17, 2021, Bradford City Police responded to 420 E. Main St., rear apartment, for an overdose victim — Simonds — in cardiac arrest. When police arrived, a man was performing CPR on Simonds on the living room floor. Bradford ambulance personnel arrived at the scene and medics took over CPR before transporting Simonds to Bradford Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, according to the criminal complaint.
The man told police that Simonds “did a line with some Brady kid” on June 16, 2021, and that she believed it was heroin. He told police that he and Simonds went to a few bars, and she had left to meet with Pysadee. When she returned, she was sweating heavily. She had a drink of water, and then she kept falling asleep. He said she went to the bathroom and threw up several times, told him she was tired and wanted to go back to his apartment to sleep, the complaint stated.
The witness said he checked on her several times through the night. In the early morning hours, he heard her in obvious distress, called 911 and started CPR, according to the complaint.
When medics were administering to Simonds, one approached an officer and gave him a baggie containing white powder residue, stating it was “located in the victim’s bra,” the complaint read. The baggie found on Simonds was tested and identified as 0.16 grams of cocaine. Police obtained the autopsy report and it showed cocaine and fentanyl in Simonds’ blood, the complaint alleged.
Police said they had Simonds’ cell phone and were able to read messages between her and Pysadee about buying drugs. The two allegedly arranged a drug buy on Welch Avenue, of which police obtained surveillance footage.
Police said the incident remains under investigation.
Pysadee was arraigned Thursday before District Judge Dom Cercone on the drug charges, and sent to McKean County Jail in lieu of $10,000 monetary bail. He was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
