16 and Pregnant alum Whitney Purvis has been through a lot as of late. Just last month, Purvis mourned the passing of her son, Weston, who died at the age of 16. Now, the former reality TV star is facing a situation that has some legal ramifications. It’s been reported that Purvis has been arrested and facing a felony charge involving manslaughter. Since Purvis was taken into police custody, further details on the situation have come to light.
The 33-year-old former MTV star was booked today, Monday, July 7 in Floyd County, Georgia, per Fox 5 Atlanta. According to the news outlet, this legal situation stems from an incident that took place on February 16, 2025. It was at that time that cops arrived at Whitney Purvis’ residence and discovered the body of John Mark Harris, who reportedly died from a drug overdose. It’s also said that authorities spotted drug paraphernalia when they were on the premises. At this time, Purvis’ reps have yet to speak out on the matter.
What’s also known is that Purvis has been charged with involuntary manslaughter involving a fatal drug overdose as well as possession with intent to distribute and a controlled substance charge. Per the arrest warrant, Purvis allegedly provided John Mark Harris with drugs, specifically a substance known as “Tranq,” which the police believe to be the cause of the overdose. That drug is reportedly made up of a combination of Fentanyl and Xylazine. Details regarding the exact nature of Purvis’ relationship to Harris have not been shared.
As noted by TMZ, this isn’t the first time that Whitney Purvis has had a run-in with the law, as she’s actually been arrested three times since 2012. Purvis was previously taken into custody for smashing someone’s electronics and was booked on another occasion for stealing a pregnancy test from a Walmart. Additionally, Purvis drew the ire of the law in 2024 when she failed to pay child support as stipulated.
Whitney Purvis is featured on the first season of 16 and Pregnant (which is available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription). Purvis’ struggles as a young mother are on full display during the season’s fifth episode, which aired back in 2009. Ultimately, the show brought Purvis some level of notoriety as it did for others like late series veteran Jordan Cashmyer, who died at the age of 26 in 2022 following struggles with addiction. As previously mentioned, Purvis herself just experienced a tragedy not long ago.
On June 2, Weston Gosa Jr. passed away after dealing with several health issues, including Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and Addison’s Disease, with diabetes resulting from the latter. Purvis revealed her son’s death through an emotional message she shared to Facebook. In time, she also shared a message on Instagram along with several photos of her and her son. That post is available to view below:
When it comes to Whitney Purvis’ latest legal situation, no further information has been shared at this time. To the public’s knowledge, no bond has been set for Purvis either.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
