Former reality TV star charged in man’s overdose death

In this handout photo provided by the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, former "16 & Pregnant" TV personality Whitney Purvis is seen in a police booking photo after being arrested for felony involuntary manslaughter involving a fatal overdose on July 7, 2025 in Rome, Georgia. (Photo by Floyd County Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images)

ROME, Ga. — A woman who appeared on MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” was arrested Monday in Georgia on charges including involuntary manslaughter related to a man’s death by fentanyl poisoning earlier this year.

Whitney Purvis, 33, was being held without bond in the Floyd County Jail in Rome, Georgia, about 65 miles (105 kilometres) northwest of Atlanta, according to online jail records. Online records did not indicate whether she had an attorney who could comment the charges.

WAGA-TV reported that police records say that officers went to a home in Rome on Feb. 16 and found John Mark Harris dead from an overdose. Officers saw possible drug paraphernalia at the scene.

An arrest warrant accuses Purvis of giving Harris a combination of xylazine and fentanyl known as “Tranq” that led to an overdose, the television station reported.

Purvis was arrested by the Drug Enforcement Administration and local officers, according to a statement from the federal agency. The investigation is ongoing, the DEA said.

“DEA reminds the public that nearly 70% of all drug-related deaths involve synthetic opioids, like fentanyl,” said Jae Chung, DEA acting special agent in charge of the Atlanta office. “Two milligrams of fentanyl is a potentially deadly dose.”

The Associated Press