34-year-old man faces up to seven years behind bars following a guilty plea connected to a fatal drug transaction that spanned Columbus and Brunswick counties.
Dylan Mark Fowler, 34, of Columbus County admitted guilt October 7 to a felony charge of death by distribution of a controlled substance. A superior court judge handed down an active prison sentence ordering Fowler to serve between 64 and 89 months in state custody.
The criminal investigation began mid-March 2024, when family members discovered Austin McLean deceased inside his Brunswick County residence. An examination conducted by the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office, in coordination with Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office detectives, confirmed McLean’s death resulted from acute intoxication involving cocaine and fentanyl.
Investigators used cell phone communications and digital video footage to trace the narcotics back to Fowler. Evidence revealed Fowler conducted the illicit sale to McLean while working then at a Walmart in Whiteville shortly before the victim was discovered.
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