A 12-year-old girl’s desperate text to her mother from a basement sleepover turned a seemingly ordinary night into a criminal case that has shaken parents far beyond Oregon. Investigators say the child realized something was terribly wrong after drinking a fruit smoothie, then begged her mom to collect her as her friend’s father allegedly tried to drug the group of girls. Her quick thinking, and the digital trail of messages she sent in panic, would later become central evidence in court proceedings against the man accused of targeting his own daughter’s friends.
The case centers on allegations that the father secretly laced the girls’ drinks with a sleeping medication during what was supposed to be a fun gathering, leaving one child “deeply asleep” and another fighting to stay conscious. As details have emerged through affidavits, sentencing hearings, and civil filings, the story has become a stark warning about trust, supervision, and how children can protect themselves when the adult in charge is the one causing harm.
The Oregon sleepover that turned into a crime scene
The sleepover took place at the home of an Oregon father who had invited his daughter’s friends for what he described as a fun night together. According to court records, the man, identified as 57-year-old Meyden, prepared fruit smoothies for his daughter and three of her friends, all around 12 years old, before they headed to sleep in the basement. Prosecutors later said those drinks were secretly laced with a prescription sleep aid, turning a familiar childhood ritual into a calculated act that left the girls vulnerable.
One of the children, referred to in reports simply as the Girl, began to feel strange after drinking the smoothie and lying down with the others in the basement. While one friend slipped into what investigators later described as being “deeply asleep,” the girl who would send the frantic text stayed just awake enough to sense danger. Her account, later given to police, describes a moment when the trusted parent hosting the sleepover allegedly shifted from chaperone to predator, and the basement where the girls slept effectively became a crime scene.
The frantic text: “Mom please pick me up”
As the effects of the drink took hold, the 12-year-old realized she was becoming unusually drowsy and that something about the situation felt wrong. Fighting the heaviness in her body, she grabbed her phone and sent a message to her mother that would later be quoted in court documents: “Mom please pick me up and don’t make it obvious.” That plea, captured in the affidavit and later reported in detail, showed both her fear and her awareness that confronting the adult directly might escalate the danger, according to summaries of the affidavit.
The girl’s messages, later described as harrowing, continued as she tried to explain that she felt drugged and that her friend was not waking up normally. Her mother, alarmed by the tone and content of the texts, quickly decided to drive over and collect her, later telling investigators that the messages were unlike anything she had seen from her daughter before. Those digital exchanges, preserved on the girl’s phone, would become a central piece of evidence showing her state of mind and the urgency she felt as the situation unfolded in real time.
Inside the basement: a child pretends to sleep as danger looms
According to investigative records, the 12-year-old later told police that after the girls went to sleep in the basement, she heard She heard footsteps on the stairs as Meyden came downstairs. She said she decided to “pretend to be asleep” as he allegedly hovered over her and her friend on the basement floor. That detail, repeated in multiple summaries of the affidavit, underscores how the child instinctively tried to protect herself by staying still and quiet, even as she sensed that the adult in the room was not there to check on them in a normal way.
In her account, the girl described watching through nearly closed eyes as the man moved around the basement, then went into a nearby bathroom that she said led directly to a bedroom where the children were not supposed to be. She later told officers that she remained motionless, hoping he would believe she was unconscious, while her friend remained “deeply asleep” and unresponsive beside her. Those details, drawn from her interview with investigators and reflected in investigative summaries, paint a chilling picture of a child forced to calculate how to survive a situation that should never have existed in the first place.
From allegation to arrest: how investigators built the case
Once the girl’s mother arrived and took her from the home, the family quickly sought medical help and contacted law enforcement. Police in Oregon opened an investigation that focused on the smoothies the girls had been given and the behavior described in the basement. According to charging documents, officers learned that the drinks had been prepared by Oregon father Meyden, and that at least one of the girls had tested positive for a sedative consistent with a prescription sleep medication.
Investigators also collected the text messages the girl had sent to her mother, which documented her fear in real time and supported her claim that she believed she had been drugged. Those messages, along with her detailed description of pretending to sleep while the man allegedly hovered over her and her friend, were incorporated into an affidavit that laid out the basis for criminal charges. The case was soon described in national coverage as one in which an An Oregon man had drugged his daughter and her friends with fruit smoothies laced with a sleeping medication after they did not go to bed when he wanted them to.
The courtroom reckoning and a two-year prison sentence
The criminal case eventually led to a conviction and a prison term for the father at the center of the allegations. In a sentencing hearing, the court heard how he had planned what he called a fun sleepover for his daughter and three of her friends, all then age 12, but instead gave them smoothies that contained a sedative. According to a detailed account of the hearing, the judge sentenced the Oregon man to two years in prison after finding that he had drugged the girls with a sleeping medication when they did not go to bed on his schedule, as reflected in the sentencing report.
During the proceedings, the defendant claimed he had no “nefarious intent” and argued that he had simply wanted the girls to sleep, a characterization that prosecutors and the court rejected in light of the evidence. A separate account of the hearing noted that he told the judge he had planned a fun sleepover for his daughter and three friends, all then age 12, but that the night “didn’t go to bed” as he expected, a phrase cited in court coverage. The judge’s decision to impose a custodial sentence underscored how seriously the justice system viewed the act of secretly sedating children, regardless of the defendant’s attempt to minimize his motives.
Civil lawsuits and the role of other adults in the home
Beyond the criminal case, the families of the girls pursued civil action that raised broader questions about who else bore responsibility for what happened that night. A supplemental lawsuit named Yukiko, identified as Meyden’s ex-wife, as a defendant, arguing that she also had a duty to protect the children. The filing alleged that adults in the home should have known or should have acted differently to prevent the girls from being placed in harm’s way, even if they did not personally administer any drugs.
Another account of the civil proceedings noted that the girl who sent the texts told investigators she heard She heard Meyden come downstairs after the children had gone to sleep in the basement, reinforcing the narrative that the danger emerged from within the household itself. While some civil proceedings have since been reported as cancelled or resolved, the lawsuits highlighted how families often turn to the civil courts to seek accountability that goes beyond a single criminal sentence.
How the girl’s messages reshaped the narrative of child safety
The text messages sent by the 12-year-old did more than alert her mother in the moment; they also reshaped public understanding of how children can signal distress when they are in danger but cannot safely speak out. Descriptions of the Harrowing messages, including her plea not to make the pickup “obvious,” have been widely cited as an example of a child using technology as a lifeline. Advocates say that detail underscores the importance of children having access to a phone and feeling empowered to contact a trusted adult if something feels wrong, even in a setting that is supposed to be safe.
Coverage of the case has also emphasized how the girl’s digital trail helped investigators corroborate her account. The messages documented her growing fear, her physical symptoms after drinking the smoothie, and her observations about her friend being “deeply asleep,” all in real time. That record, combined with her later statement that she pretended to be asleep while Meyden allegedly hovered over the girls, gave prosecutors a powerful narrative that did not rely solely on adult recollections. In that sense, the case has become a reference point for how children’s own words, preserved in texts, can drive both public outrage and legal outcomes.
What parents are asking now about sleepovers and trust
In the wake of the Oregon case, many parents have begun reexamining how they approach sleepovers, especially when they involve homes where adults are not well known. The idea that an Oregon father could drug his daughter and her friends with smoothies has prompted some families to set stricter rules, such as insisting on meeting all adults in the home, limiting overnight stays, or requiring that children be allowed to keep their phones nearby. Parenting experts note that the girl’s experience shows how quickly a trusted environment can shift, and how vital it is for children to know they can call or text for help without fear of getting in trouble.
Some parents have also focused on teaching children to recognize physical signs that something is wrong, such as sudden extreme drowsiness after eating or drinking, and to treat those symptoms as a reason to contact a caregiver immediately. The details of this case, including the allegation that the girls were given fruit smoothies laced with a sleeping medication and that one child was left “deeply asleep,” have been cited in discussions about how to talk with preteens about consent, bodily autonomy, and the right to leave any situation that feels unsafe. Those conversations, informed by reporting on the Girl’s ordeal, are now part of many families’ safety planning.
Lessons for law enforcement, schools, and communities
For law enforcement and child protection professionals, the Oregon sleepover case has highlighted the importance of taking children’s digital communications seriously as evidence. The girl’s texts, described as Harrowing in summaries of the affidavit, provided a contemporaneous record that supported her later statements and helped prosecutors counter the defendant’s claim that he lacked harmful intent. Agencies now point to cases like this when training officers to secure and analyze phones quickly in suspected child abuse incidents.
Schools and community organizations have also used the case as a teaching tool in discussions about personal safety and digital communication. Presentations to parents and students often reference the way the girl pretended to be asleep while Meyden allegedly hovered over her and her friend, then used her phone to reach out for help, as an example of both situational awareness and the limits of what a child can do alone. Community advocates argue that the responsibility for preventing such harm ultimately lies with adults and systems, not with children, but that equipping kids with practical strategies can still save lives when those systems fail.
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