Student arrested after Georgia teenager Mia Dieguez collapsed and died at school

Relatives of a 15-year-old girl who collapsed and died at an Atlanta high school this week said Tuesday that one of her classmates has been arrested in connection with her death.

Mia Dieguez died Monday after suffering cardiac arrest at Dunwoody High School. First responders were unable to revive her even though school authorities locked down the campus to allow medical care for her.

Dieguez’s sister, Pamela Dieguez, posted on Facebook that her sister died of a drug overdose containing fentanyl – the highly lethal synthetic opioid that was responsible for 200 deaths each day in the United States in 2022.

Mia’s death shocked her classmates and her community. Pamela posted that she hopes “this opens a lot of families’ eyes when it comes to kids who use drugs.”

“Sadly, we lost our sister Mia to the epidemic of fentanyl-laced drugs that someone purchased at her school,” said a GoFundMe for Mia on Tuesday. “Mia was a very loving and caring person who had a bright future had ahead of him and planned to join the military to help at home. It is a great pain for family and friends and we will miss her greatly.”

In a post announcing the arrest, Pamela said her family was pleased to receive “justice for my little sister.” She told Fox 5 that she received a call from authorities between noon and 1 p.m. Monday saying her sister was being taken to a hospital and was “not breathing well.”

DeKalb County School District Police confirmed to 11 Alive that a juvenile has been arrested in connection with the death and is being charged with involuntary manslaughter and negligent conduct.

The school’s principal, Tom Bass, wrote in a letter to students’ families on Monday that the tragedy occurred at a time when many students were taking end-of-year exams.

“Everyone reacts to death differently,” Bass added. “Our priority is to respect each other’s feelings and emotions. As a family, we encourage you to talk to your child about this incident so they can share their thoughts and reactions.”