A 19-year-old man is being held criminally responsible for the death of a teenage boy who overdosed after a night of partying and was found dead in southeastern Minnesota near railroad tracks two months later.

Noah S. Graddy, 15, of Byron, Minn., was found "buried in the snow in a fetal position," according to charges filed this week.

Darrian J. Rice, of Kasson, Minn., was charged in Dodge County District Court with second-degree manslaughter, a felony, and gross-misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

According to the criminal complaint:

David and Susan Graddy called the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office on Jan. 19 to report that someone broke into their locked bedroom closet and stole $600. On Jan. 23, they reported their son missing and added that he would hang out with kids from Kasson.

Investigators learned that Graddy was with three other teens on Jan. 21, and some of them drove to Rochester and bought methamphetamine before heading to Rice's home.

Randy Salas, Star Tribune
Darrian James Rice.

Graddy, Rice and two others "spent the night in Rice's room getting high on Triple C and methamphetamine," the complaint read. Triple C is a cocktail of over-the-counter drugs that includes a cough suppressant, a pain reliever and a nasal decongestant.

Into the early morning, Graddy "began to act strange and was being loud." Rice, concerned his grandmother would be awakened, kicked Graddy out of the house.

Graddy left behind a note that read, "Thanks for using me until all my money was gone," and he then went outside in temperatures that ranged that morning from 9 below to 20 below.

Knowing that Graddy sometimes followed the railroad tracks between his Byron home and Kasson, law enforcement came upon "the body of Noah Graddy buried in the snow in a fetal position" east of Kasson.

An autopsy pinned the cause of death on "acute intoxication" from methamphetamine and other drugs and from exposure to the extreme cold.

Rice remains jailed in lieu of $30,000 bail ahead of a court appearance Aug. 20. In March, he was convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia, a petty misdemeanor.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482