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Long Sentencing in Dunlap Death Case Continued Due COVID-19 Outbreak

FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) – Sentencing for Shaun Long, who was convicted of first-degree drug delivery resulting in death and a dozen other charges related to the drug overdose death of a local woman, has been continued indefinitely due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to a representative of Venango County District Attorney Shawn White’s office, sentencing on Long’s case, and all other cases in Venango County, have been continued indefinitely and will be rescheduled when restrictions due to the COVID-19 outbreak have been lifted.

51-year-old Shaun M Long, of Emlenton, was found guilty of the following charges during a jury trial on January 17, 2020:

– Drug Delivery Resulting In Death, Felony 1
– Hinder Apprehension/Prosecution-Conceal/Destroy Evidence, Felony 3
– Hinder Apprehension/Prosecution-False Info To LEO, Felony 3
– Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, Felony (two counts)
– Involuntary Manslaughter, Misdemeanor 1
– Abuse Of Corpse, Misdemeanor 2
– False Reports – Reported Offense Did Not Occur, Misdemeanor 2
– Tamper With/Fabricate Physical Evidence, Misdemeanor 2
– Obstruct Admin Law/Other Govt Function, Misdemeanor 2
– Intentional Possession of Controlled Substance By Person Not Registered, Misdemeanor
– Use/Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor

He was found not guilty on one felony count of Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver.

He remains lodged in the Venango County Jail.

Details of the Case

The investigation was initiated after a woman who was later identified as Kayla Dunlap, 28, of Callensburg, was found dead on September 17, 2017, in a wooded area along Lake Road near Oneida Valley Dam in Oakland Township, Butler County.

Kayla Dunlap

“Based on evidence found at the scene, it is believed that Dunlap was left on the side of the road after she died in a different location,” said Trooper Balcik in the criminal complaint.

Dunlap’s purse and other belongings were found near her body.

The criminal complaint states that an autopsy performed on Dunlap on September 17 revealed a defensive hand wound and a perimortem contusion on or around her head. The cause of death was determined to be combined fentanyl and amphetamine intoxication, an issue which came up in court when two forensic pathologists disagreed on the precise compounds that led to Dunlap’s death, with one expert naming fentanyl and amphetamine, and the other naming fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, and methamphetamine.

The one thing both experts agreed upon was that the level of fentanyl found in Dunlap’s blood was 25 times the accepted lethal dose.

Shaun Long was interviewed on September 18, in relation to the whereabouts of Dunlap and indicated he last saw her when he left his residence on September 16, between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Long’s residence is located on Eakin Road in Scrubgrass Township, Venango County. Further interviews corroborated that Dunlap slept at Long’s residence until the early morning hours of September 16 and confirmed it was her last known location. The next time that Dunlap was seen occurred when she was found dead.

On October 2, Trooper Balcik reviewed Shaun Long’s cell phone records which were obtained through a search warrant. The cell phone data received indicates Long was in close proximity to where Dunlap’s body was discovered on Lake Road. The data also contradicted Long’s statement to investigators about where he was at that time. Additionally, the records revealed Long was conversing with individuals about “reloading with white fentanyl” on September 15.

Investigators got a big break in the case during an interview with a potential witness at the Venango County Jail on October 3.

Grace O’Day, who was in jail on unrelated charges at the time of the interview, said Long gave Dunlap five bags of fentanyl when she arrived at Long’s residence around 1:00 a.m. on September 16. She said she was there when Dunlap overdosed that day, and she gave Dunlap Narcan in an attempt to save her life, but the dose was unsuccessful, and Long allegedly refused to call 9-1-1, according to the criminal complaint.

During O’Day’s testimony, she stated that when she wanted to call 9-1-1, Long took her phone from her and locked her inside the trailer with Dunlap’s body for a large portion of the day.

She went on to testify that Long dumped Dunlap’s body in Butler County near a body of water, and identified the vehicle he utilized, which police also seized and searched. According to testimony from Cpl. Balcik, blood was found inside the back of the vehicle, and a DNA analysis concluded the blood had a high likelihood of being from Dunlap or Long.

Testimony based on reports from both Long and O’Day’s phone records also established their drug involvement, as well as involvement with the dumping of Dunlap’s body. One message the prosecution honed in on was a message that talked about going “around a turn fast” and doing “a Kayla,” which Balcik said seemed to indicate allowing someone to fall from a vehicle while going quickly around a turn.

Balcik testified the message seemed to “indicate Long had knowledge” of how Dunlap’s body was dumped.

The testimony in the trial drew to a close on Wednesday afternoon when the defense rested its case. Closing statements from the defense and prosecution were given on Thursday morning before the jury went into deliberations.

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