MARYLAND BEAUTY QUEEN DIES WITH DRUGS IN HER SYSTEM - HER DOCTOR BOYFRIEND SAYS IT WAS AN OVERDOSE - WAS IT SOMETHING MORE?

"48 Hours" Reports in "The Depraved Heart Murder"

Sarah Harris was a bright, young Maryland woman who dreamed of a career in medicine. On the morning of Jan. 26, 2022, she was found unresponsive on the floor of the home she shared with her boyfriend, Dr. James Ryan. Ryan told police it was an overdose, but Harris' family believed he was responsible. Contributor Nikki Battiste and 48 HOURS report on Harris' death and the investigation into what happened in "The Depraved Heart Murder," to be broadcast Saturday, Oct. 5 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+.

The investigation into Harris' death raised questions about the relationship between a doctor and his much younger girlfriend, and the case resulted in a particular kind of murder charge many viewers may find unfamiliar.

Ryan, an oral surgeon, told police that Harris struggled with drugs and that she stole them from his office, where she had been an employee. Two surgical anesthetics, ketamine and propofol, were found in her body.

First responders had believed Ryan's account of that night. Then, Sarah Harris' sister unearthed explosive evidence suggesting otherwise.

"I knew this was not just some simple accidental overdose. This was much more," says retired Montgomery County Police Department detective Ian Iacoviello, who became the lead detective on the case.

If things didn't happen as Ryan said, how did they? Sarah Harris' mother, Tina, believes Ryan dominated every aspect of her daughter's life, brought her powerful habit-forming drugs, and is therefore responsible for her death.

Ryan was arrested and charged with a subcategory of second-degree murder known as depraved heart murder, and other charges, including possession with intent to distribute and involuntary manslaughter.

48 HOURS has the latest on the case.

At 9:00 PM, ET/PT, Natalie Morales and 48 HOURS report on the murder of 16-year-old honor student Sarah Yarborough outside Seattle, Wash., in an encore of "The Hunt for Sarah Yarborough's Killer."

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