Her Doomed Relationship
Sarah first met Ryan as a patient at his dentist office—but unbeknownst to the then-23-year-old, Ryan had known who she was for a long time. During a family vacation, Ryan drunkenly revealed to Sarah’s mother, Tina, that he had first noticed her when she was just 14, playing in the neighborhood with friends.
“He says, ‘Then I found out she worked in the toy store so I would take my kids there so I could see her, and I remember when she dressed up as Elsa from Frozen, and she looked just like Elsa,’” she recalled on 48 Hours. “And then he said, ‘Yeah and then I found out she worked at one of these restaurants, and so I would go in there for dinner so I could get her as my server.’”
Then during the summer of 2020, Sarah officially met Ryan when she came to his office to have her wisdom teeth removed. Ryan continued reaching out to Sarah long after the surgery, telling her that he was looking for a new surgical assistant. He hired her without even seeing a resume.
By Christmastime, it became clear that Ryan’s intentions were not strictly professional. At 47, Ryan was a divorced father of three grown children and had a baby with another woman. After presenting her with an extravagant diamond necklace as a gift for the holidays, she agreed to join him on a dinner date.
It wasn’t long before Ryan had won Sarah over and the pair were officially a couple. He leased Sarah a new car, treated her family to all-expenses-paid vacations and by the end of the summer of 2021, she was living in his home rent free.
But the more time Sarah spent with Ryan, both at the office and at home, Tina began noticing a change in her daughter. She appeared anxious, depressed and was dropping weight, eventually seeking treatment from a psychiatrist who diagnosed her with bipolar disorder. During a family trip in the fall of 2021, Sarah confessed to her mother that she “hated” Ryan and that the pair were always fighting. Tina says she knew there was something more going on.
Sarah Harris’ Struggle with Addiction
On October 28, 2021, Tina called Sarah and when she answered, her words were “extremely slurred.” Tina immediately left for the home Sarah shared with Ryan and arrived minutes later, only to discover that her daughter “looked horrible.” She appeared to have not bathed in over a week and had wasted away to just skin and bones. On top of that, the house was littered with drug paraphernalia.
“The IV bags, needles laying all over the floor, syringes, tourniquets, bloody footprints, bloody paper towels,” Tina recalled on 48 Hours. “I pulled her sleeves up, and she had needle marks… all over her arms, bruises. I became hysterical.”
Despite wanting to turn to authorities, Sarah convinced her not to, explaining that the drugs were purely for hydration. While Tina agreed not to contact police, she convinced Sarah to move back home. However, just days later, Sarah returned to Ryan’s home. For a period, it appeared that Sarah was getting better, returning to her normal self, but on December 3, Sarah answered the phone while slurring her words once again.
When Sarah's older sister, Rachel, went to check on her, things were “worse than the first time.” There were more drugs, IVs and needles than ever before. This time, Tina confronted Ryan. At first, he insisted nothing was wrong and that he had only been hydrating Sarah. But the following day, he finally told Tina that he had been providing Sarah with drugs to prevent her from obtaining them from other sources.
Tina gave Ryan an ultimatum: He needed to break up with Sarah, or she would call the police. Ryan agreed but never followed through. It led to months of tension for the family. While Tina tried to help her daughter, they argued frequently.
It wouldn’t be long before Sarah would be found dead. On January 26, 2022, authorities responded to a fatal overdose at Ryan’s home and discovered Sarah’s body. She was just 25.
The Investigation into Sarah Harris’ Death
While authorities were quick to accept Sarah’s death as an overdose amid mental health issues, her family believed there was more to the story. They began their own investigation into Sarah’s death.
Rachel searched Sarah’s computer and compiled 200 pages of evidence, featuring text messages between Sarah and Ryan that discussed drugs including the tranquilizer diazepam and two surgical anesthetics she had previously seen in the couple’s home: propofol and ketamine. All three drugs were in Sarah’s system at the time of her death, according to the medical examiner’s report.
In February 2022, Rachel turned her report into Montgomery County Police. Detective Ian Iacoviello quickly realized that Ryan had been supplying the drugs and even suggested specific medications for Sarah’s anxiety. He, at times, administered them himself, even when she was sleeping.
It was enough evidence for authorities to make their move. On March 22, 2022, Ryan was arrested for Sarah’s murder.
A Case of Depraved-Heart Murder
Ryan was charged with involuntary manslaughter as well as two counts of drug distribution and one count of possession with intent to distribute. He was also charged with a little-known sub-category of second-degree murder known as depraved-heart murder. That meant that when the case went to court, prosecutors didn’t have to prove Ryan wanted Sarah dead but instead, understood that providing Sarah with drugs could lead to her death—and he didn’t care.
“We have to prove that he did it with reckless disregard for the value of her life,” prosecutor Jennifer Harrison told 48 Hours.
The trial began in August 2023, during which time prosecutors argued that Ryan was “stealing dangerous sedation drugs from his business” and “conducting a deadly medical experiment” on his girlfriend. Through text messages, they showcased exactly how Ryan was involved in Sarah’s death.
Meanwhile Ryan’s legal team argued that Sarah had long been struggling with her mental health, suggesting she was suicidal based on a text that read that she “lost [her] will to live.” While Iacoviello shared that there was no evidence of a suicide at the home where Sarah was found, the defense argued that the scene had been mishandled by authorities and there was no way to truly know what happened.
Ryan chose not to testify. Following the two-week trial, the jury reached their decision in less than three hours. Ryan was found guilty of second-degree depraved-heart murder as well as the other charges he faced. He is currently serving 45 years in prison.
