Drug bust in Tell City leads to child-neglect investigation
A juvenile lived in a Tell City home where investigators say they found about 850 syringes, many with suspected methamphetamine and blood. That triggered a child-neglect case.
A juvenile lived in a Tell City residence where investigators say they found about 850 hypodermic needles, many containing suspected methamphetamine and blood, along with about 15 grams of suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and other items tied to drug dealing. Indiana State Police said the discovery triggered a child-neglect investigation and a notification to the Indiana Department of Child Services because Zachary Duncan and Haley Burton are the child’s parents and the juvenile was living in the house.
Troopers said the case began May 13, 2026, when the Noblesville Police Department asked the Indiana State Police Drug Enforcement Section for help finding Duncan, who had an active warrant dating to September 2024. Master Trooper Trey Lytton and Trooper Connor Giesler then developed information that Duncan might be in the Tell City area. On May 14, officers saw him leaving a residence in a vehicle, worked with the Tell City Police Department to make the stop and took him into custody without incident. The Perry County Sheriff’s Office also sent a lieutenant and K-9 partner, and the dog alerted to illegal narcotics during the search warrant at the home occupied by Burton.
Both adults were taken to the Perry County Jail and face preliminary charges including dealing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, neglect of a dependent and possession of a hypodermic syringe. Duncan also was being held on a Hamilton County warrant tied to drug possession and impaired-driving-related allegations. Under Indiana law, neglect of a dependent can include a caregiver knowingly placing a child in a situation that endangers the child’s life or health, and the offense can be elevated when it occurs in a place where meth dealing is taking place.
Tell City’s police jurisdiction covers just over 4.635 square miles and serves about 7,800 people, a scale that makes a cache of used needles and suspected meth in a home with a child feel especially local. Perry County’s 2020 Census population was 19,170. State health officials say syringe service programs are meant to reduce the spread of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C and connect people who inject drugs with treatment and other services, a reminder that the discovery carried both criminal and public-health implications.
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