Doc found dead by ‘murderer’ fiancé died from drug overdose, 3 years after former lover’s mysterious death
The Missouri podiatrist who died unexpectedly in January — just over three years after her fiancé’s former lover was also found dead in mysterious circumstances — succumbed to a lethal drug overdose.
Sarah Sweeney, 39, who was found dead at a home in the Westwood area of St. Louis on the morning of Jan. 13, died from oxycodone, gabapentin and diphenhydramine intoxication, the Frontenac Police Department said.
Oxycodone is a narcotic pain reliever, while diphenhydramine — often sold over the counter under the brand name Benadryl — is for allergy symptoms, and gabapentin is an anticonvulsant.
It is not immediately clear if Sweeney regularly took these medications, though her mother, Teresa Sweeney Light, previously told Fox News Digital that she had health issues stemming from mast cell activation syndrome.
There were no obvious signs of trauma on her body, and evidence indicates she was home alone in the hours before her death, the release added.
Sweeney’s manner of death, however, remains undetermined.
“Investigators are continuing to gather information; therefore, this case remains an active investigation,” the update concluded.
Sweeney was found dead at the home she lived in with her fiancé, local fire captain Robert Daus, public records indicated.
Nearly four years earlier, in July 2020, Daus had called first responders to his previous address in Creve Coeur to report that his then-fiancée, Grace Holland, had supposedly shot herself in the head in front of him.
Holland — who had four children — was later determined to have taken her own life.
Her family disputed the finding, and sued Daus for wrongful death — citing evidence that he controlled Holland’s finances and was threatening to end their relationship.
When Sweeney moved in with Daus, she expressed some anxieties about his troubling past.
“I have had to move in with my boyfriend the ‘murderer’ [sic] which has been scary at times,” she wrote to a former co-worker and friend, DAnielle Mankunas, in March 2022.
At the time, Sweeney was considering suing her one-time employer, and was trying to persuade Mankunas to support the suit despite the financial and professional risks.
That case was still ongoing at the time of Sweeney’s death.
Sweeney’s relationship with Daus also caused her to become estranged from her mother and stepfather, Sweeney Light told Fox in January.
Her loved ones had forwarded her articles about Daus’ connection with Holland, but she eventually stopped answering, the grieving mother explained.
“She was a grown adult, a doctor and a woman. We didn’t know what to do,” she said at the time.
When reached by The Post Wednesday morning, Sweeney Light said the family had “complete confidence in the thorough investigation made by the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Frontenac Police Department.”
“Our hope is to close this chapter of our lives so that we grieve, move on, and continue to honor the memory of our Sarah,” she added.
Robert Daus did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for a comment.
