Man Arrested After Merck Employee Dies At His Desk: Montco DA

UPPER GWYNEDD, PA — A Montgomery County man has been charged after a 36-year-old Merck employee was found dead at his desk at the pharmaceutical company plant in Upper Gwynedd Township.

Kevin Daley, 42, of Harleysville, was arrested by Upper Gwynedd Township police last week and charged with possession with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communication facility — both felonies — along with a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance.

The arrest stems from the Dec. 27, 2020, death of Trevor Edwards, who was found deceased at his desk at Merck after police officers were called to the scene for a report of an unconscious individual, according to Upper Gwynedd police.

Township police and investigators with the Montgomery County Detective Bureau conducted a joint investigation that ultimately revealed Daley and Edwards had been communicating through cellphone in the days leading up to the death, according to police.

Authorities say they discovered more than 350 texts between the two that involved the arranging of a sale of pills to Edwards, police stated.

Upper Gwynedd police did not specify the type of pills were involved in Edwards' death.

Daley is being charged as the individual who supplied the drugs to Edwards.

Court records show that Daley was arraigned on Jan. 26 by Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard, who set bail at $50,000 unsecured, which was subsequently posted by the defendant.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 10 before Leonard.

According to his obituary, Edwards is survived by a wife and two children.

The obituary says Edwards was a "hard working, kind-hearted man," and a "patient, nurturing father and husband.

"His motivation in life was to take care of his family," the obituary reads. "He enjoyed traveling and vacationing to the Caribbean and snorkeling, and was a certified PADI scuba diver. He shared his love for the beach and adventure with his family whenever he could, especially in Turks and Caicos where he loved to find marine life by the coral reef."

The obituary says that Edwards, who resided in Shoemakersville in Berks County, was a certified Master Plumber who worked as a pipe fitter at Merk.

Edwards is a Berks County native who graduated from Hamburg Area High School in 2002.