A father from Oregon seemingly broke the trust of adults and children during a sleepover at his family’s home. Michael Meyden, 57, allegedly made smoothies spiked with drugs for three 12-year-old girls who were spending the night at his Lake Oswego home on August 26, 2023. The girls reportedly became intoxicated after drinking the smoothies and were taken to Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel in Portland, where they tested positive for benzodiazepine.
Meyden, who according to his LinkedIn, works as a human resources official, reportedly turned himself in to police on February 27. Now, the father of two faces charges related to unknowingly serving someone a controlled substance.
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It seemed to be a typical sleepover.
According to an affidavit obtained by The Oregonian, police were called to the hospital after three girls tested positive for benzodiazepine. During the investigation, the girls alleged that Meyden was attentive during the evening and was very present. They said they watched movies and did facials, and everything appeared normal. But when Meyden made them smoothies, the evening took a sinister turn.
Meyden allegedly became aggressive.
The drinks had “tiny white chunks” in them, but Meyden “insisted” they drink them, court documents explain. One of the girls reportedly didn’t like the drink and refused to consume it, but the father made a second smoothie and allegedly made sure she drank it.
The girls told police Meyden came to the basement where they were staying and, at one point, allegedly put a finger under one of the girl’s noses to seemingly check if she was breathing.
His daughter was not named as a victim in the indictment, the Oregonian reported.
One brave girl contacted her mother.
Per the affidavit, Meyden left the room at one point, and one of the girls texted her mother to come and pick her up.
Her text read, “Mom please pick me up and say I had a family emergency. I don’t feel safe. I might not respond but please come get me (crying emoji), Please. Please pick up. Please. PLEASE!!” per the Oregonian.
The girls told police they kept their guard up while waiting for a trusted adult to arrive. Eventually, all three girls’ parents picked them up and confronted Meyden at his home around 3 a.m.
Meyden allegedly tried to stop the parents from collecting their daughters.
According to the documents, Meyden resisted allowing the parents to take their daughters home by saying they were sleeping. The parents insisted and ended up taking the girls to the hospital. While there, police observed at least one girl who struggled to walk up to 12 hours after the alleged drugging.
She reportedly “walked slowly and used the assistance of her mother for balance, her eyelids were heavy, and she spoke slowly.” She added she had never felt this kind of sleepiness before.
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Meyden was apparently in the middle of a divorce.
He and his wife filed for divorce in 2023, per the Oregonian. He had been living in Lake Oswego at the time of the sleepover but now lives in an RV park in Vancouver. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has dual citizenship in the United States and Canada.
His attorney, Mark Cogan, told the newspaper he had not reviewed the evidence in this case and advised people not to pass judgment. “Mr. Meyden is presumed innocent and we hope that people will reserve judgment until all of the facts and circumstances are known,” Cogan said.
