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Puyallup father held on $1.5 million bail in child’s fentanyl death case
Kyler Lawrence, wanted in connection with his 5-year-old child’s 2025 fentanyl death, was arrested in Yelm after a deputy stopped a car without a license plate. He appeared in Pierce County Superior Court Monday, where bail was set at $1.5 million.
A Pierce County man wanted in connection with his 5-year-old child’s fentanyl death was arrested in Yelm over the weekend after a Thurston County deputy stopped a car without a license plate, authorities said.
Kyler Lawrence, 32, was a passenger in the vehicle. Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said a deputy saw drugs near him during the Sunday night stop. Authorities said Lawrence gave deputies a false name before they identified him as the subject of a Pierce County arrest warrant.
Lawrence was wanted on a first-degree manslaughter warrant issued in September, according to Pierce County authorities. He appeared in Pierce County Superior Court on Monday, Oct. 19, and bail was set at $1.5 million. Sanders said Thurston County officials will also refer potential drug-possession and first-degree criminal-impersonation charges.
The case stems from the death of a child in Puyallup on March 13, 2025. The Pierce County Medical Examiner determined the child died of acute fentanyl toxicity.
Court documents say the child’s mother, Jordan Shank, told deputies she had fallen asleep with the child the prior evening. She said Lawrence woke her around 4 a.m., concerned that the child looked unwell. Shank told investigators she found the child not breathing and called 911. The child was pronounced dead at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital.
Investigators found drug paraphernalia in the home, including foil with a brown substance and a glass pipe in an area believed to be the child’s room, according to court documents. Shank told investigators she and Lawrence used fentanyl daily and had both used it the night before the child died. Shank was arrested in May 2025 on a first-degree manslaughter charge; the allegations against her and Lawrence have not been adjudicated.
Lawrence left the home before deputies could speak with him on the day the child was found, according to documents. Later court records say investigators determined he had hidden in the attic while law enforcement was at the house. Pierce County authorities have not publicly explained what new information led them to obtain the warrant in September.
Lawrence’s arrest ends a search lasting about 19 months. His case will proceed in Pierce County, while Thurston County authorities consider the additional charges stemming from Sunday’s stop.