Woman accused in fatal overdose of 13-year-old Columbus boy receives high bond

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A woman facing 27 felony charges, including involuntary manslaughter after the death of a 13-year-old boy, was in court Wednesday afternoon.

According to court documents, Ema Loza De Leon and four others are facing dozens of charges in connection to the death of a 13-year-old boy, who reportedly overdosed on a lethal combination of cocaine and fentanyl.

De Leon, 57, appeared before a Franklin County Common Pleas judge Wednesday on charges of involuntary manslaughter and over two dozen related drug charges. The judge issued De Leon a $1 million surety bond plus a $20,000 recognizance bond.

Her charges stem from the boy’s death, which occurred on Sept. 5, 2023, after police arrived to find the child in a North Hilltop residence in the 200 block of North Warrant Avenue. Officers observed packaged narcotics in plain sight, and detectives obtained a search warrant.

Police seized around eight kilograms of drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and crack cocaine. Additionally, two firearms were recovered.

Detectives, in conjunction with the Ohio Narcotic Intelligence Center, examined several electronic devices, which led to three subsequent drug seizures.

Investigators said the evidence collected from all searches revealed that the suspects were allegedly running a drug trafficking organization. Their charges break down as follows:

• Ema Loza De-Leon is facing 27 felony charges, including involuntary manslaughter and 12 counts each of trafficking in drugs and possession of drugs and one count each of endangering children and engaging in corrupt activity.

• Jose Garcia-Huerta is facing 20 total felony charges, the majority of which are trafficking in drugs and possession of drugs. 

• Lezly Avila is charged with 14 felony drug charges.

Garcia Huerta and Avila’s charges include a second incident from 2022, in which three other suspects are named: Joseph Mercado, Gildardo Sanchez Quezada and Yeslin Melgar Maldonado. All three face similar charges.

The fourth suspect was 17 years old at the time of the boy’s death. A juvenile warrant was issued for involuntary manslaughter. Now 18, Jovany Avila’s case was transferred to common pleas court. He faces six counts each of drug trafficking and drug possession plus one count of engaging in corrupt activity.

All suspects have pleaded not guilty to all charges, which include either a firearm specification, a major drug offender specification, or both.

Jovany Avila also received bond amounts of $1 million and $20,000 in court Wednesday, while Garcia Huerta was issued bond amounts totaling over $1 million on Aug. 16. Lezly Avila has yet to have an arraignment hearing scheduled.