DURHAM, N.C. — A Charlotte-area family is holding onto hope for justice after their daughter, a UNC-Chapel Hill student, died earlier this year.
According to court and state records, 19-year-old Grace Burton died in March of 2023 from an accidental overdose while visiting Duke University’s campus.
The man who was allegedly with Burton on the night she died was in federal court this week. However, no one has been charged for her death. Chris Adkins, the Burtons' family attorney, told WCNC Charlotte that he and the family are fighting to change that.
Elizabeth Grace Burton’s sorority sisters said in an Instagram post she was hilarious and had the best smile. Burton was a Zeta Tau Alpha at UNC-Chapel Hill and, according to the post, she was the Director of Sisterhood for her chapter.
Adkins alleges Burton was visiting Duke student Patrick Rowland the night she died.
“She met with Rowland on March 9, it was early in the morning about two o'clock," Adkins recounted. "She goes over to Duke’s campus with him and they go to his dorm room and they're partying, and at some point, cocaine is purchased."
DEA investigators later found that the cocaine was laced with fentanyl.
Court documents say when Grace became incapacitated, someone called the drug dealer instead of calling 911 for help. The dealer, identified in court documents as 45-year-old Cye Frasier, then returned to campus.
"At that point, Rowland contacts Cye Frasier, who is a defendant as well, who comes and carries her body up to Rowland's dorm room," Adkins added.
Court documents echo Adkins' statement, saying Frasier is seen on surveillance video carrying Burton. The files then say someone called 911 about 30 minutes later.
Frasier, who police say is known as "The Barber," is facing a slew of federal drug charges after investigators say a Raleigh student died from Frasier’s fentanyl-laced cocaine the same month as Grace.
However, Frasier is not facing any charges in Grace’s case.
"It's my understanding that if fentanyl is included as a cause of death, then Frasier would have been potentially charged with-- in relation to her death," explained Adkins.
Adkins asserted that Grace’s autopsy report could be to blame for the lack of charges. Fentanyl was proven to be found in her system, but it’s not listed as a cause of death.
"When you look at what the medical examiner's office actually provided, they say that the cause of death is cocaine and ethanol toxicity, even though they referenced the fentanyl in their own report," Adkins said.
Rowland is facing a federal drug charge after court documents say investigators discovered he was buying drugs from Frasier for several months and selling them to his student peers.
Rowland has pleaded guilty to the charge and is expected to be sentenced in December.
Adkins said Burton's family wants Rowland and Frasier charged for her death. He has requested the state medical examiner to correct Grace’s autopsy to include fentanyl in her cause of death, but he has yet to hear back.
WCNC Charlotte is waiting to hear back from the DEA, which is investigating the case, on when Frasier’s trial begins for the Raleigh student's death.
WCNC Charlotte reached out to Duke University twice for comment but has not heard back at the time of this publication.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.