Prostitute Accused in Yacht Overdose Death

A high-end prostitute has been arrested on suspicion of murder after injecting heroin into a Google executive on his yacht in Santa Cruz and leaving him to die when he overdosed, according to police.

Surveillance footage from the yacht shows the suspect, Alix Tichelman, 26, gather her belongings, including the heroin and needles, step over the 51-year-old victim's body to finish a glass of wine and then lower a blind before leaving the boat, Santa Cruz police said Tuesday.

Authorities said Tichelman, of Folsom, did not provide first aid or call 911 as the man suffered medical complications and went unconscious during the November overdose. His body was discovered the next morning by the boat's captain, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported.

"She showed no regard for him. She was just trying to cover her tracks," Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Steve Clark told the Sentinel.

Tichelman was arrested on July 4 after police said a detective lured her back to the Santa Cruz area by posing as a potential client and reaching agreement on a price of more than $1,000.

She was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder, destruction of evidence and transporting and providing narcotics. It was not immediately clear whether she had an attorney.

The Sentinel identified the victim as Forrest Timothy Hayes, a Google executive and father of five, and said the overdose occurred on his 50-foot yacht, Escape, at the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor.

Tichelman, who boasted she had more than 200 clients, met her clients through a website, police said.

*Original story:Yahoo News via Google News (search term: Yacht)
*Image credits: Flickr/Ernest Duffoo and Flickr/Faruk Ates  (CC2.0)