Richmond-area teen who died had fentanyl and horse tranquilizer xylazine in system, coroner finds

The McHenry County Coroner on Monday identified Trent Ullrich, 14, as the juvenile who died Jan. 3 of an overdose in Richmond Township.

The teen had both fentanyl and xylazine, a tranquilizer used for livestock, in his system.

“The cause of death was determined as adverse effects of fentanyl and xylazine,” according to a release from Coroner Michael Rein.

According to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, the Richmond Township Fire Protection District was called at 10:50 a.m. to the 9600 block of Hillandale Lane for the report of a person experiencing “difficulty breathing.”

Trent Ullrich was pronounced dead at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital’s emergency room later that day.

Another male child, age 13, was also in the home, according to court documents.

In connection to Trent Ullrich’s death, his mother, Cara Ullrich, 45, is charged with two Class 4 felony counts of possession of a controlled substance and two misdemeanor counts of endangering the life or health of a minor.

She was sentenced last week to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for violating probation on an unrelated 2021 case where she is accused of slashing the stomach of a relative with a knife. She remains in the McHenry County Jail, according to county records.

Trent’s father, Eric Ullrich, 51, is charged with one Class 4 felony count of possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of endangering the life or health of a minor. He was released pending trial.

The McHenry County State’s Attorney did not immediately respond to questions about possible further charges against both parents.

Xylazine began showing up in McHenry County overdose deaths in 2020 and always in conjunction with fentanyl or other drugs, Rein said. There have been a total of five xylazine-associated deaths since then, he said.

Unlike heroin and fentanyl, xylazine is not an opioid, and Naloxone does not counteract an overdose of that drug.

In addition to Trent Ullrich’s confirmed overdose death, there have been eight suspected overdoses in 2024 so far, Rein said. Toxicology results are still pending in those cases.