"I think I did it": Man says in 911 call he took cold medicine, awoke to find wife slain

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Posted: Sep 4, 2017 6:44 PM CDT

RALEIGH, N.C. (CBS) -- A man calling 911 in North Carolina told the operator he woke up from a dream and found his wife stabbed to death in their bedroom.

Raleigh Police charged 28-year-old Matthew Phelps with murder Friday after he made the emergency call. When police responded, authorities say 29-year-old Lauren Ashley-Nicole Phelps was dead from stab wounds.

In the 911 call, obtained by CBS affiliate WNCN, Phelps told the operator he took more cold medicine then he should have and woke up after his dream with blood all over him and a knife on the bed he shared with his wife.

Matthew Phelps is heard on the call saying, "I think I killed my…."

When a dispatcher asks him what happened, he says, "I had a dream, and then I turned on the lights and she's dead on the floor."

"How? How? How?" the dispatcher is heard asking.

Phelps responds, "I have blood all over me and there's a bloody knife on the bed and I think I did it."

Phelps says the medication he took was Coricidin, a cough and cold medication, "because I know it can make you feel good and sometimes I can't sleep at night."

Toward the end of the seven-minute 911 call, Matthew Phelps started sobbing, saying his wife didn't deserve this.

It wasn't known if Phelps had a lawyer.

Coricidin contains dextromethorphan and chlorpheniramine, which experts say when taken in high doses – which is typically a result of recreational use – can cause euphoria, agitation, psychoses and dissociative phenomena.

A statement available on the Coricidin website describes abuse of over-the-counter products including those that contain dextromethorphan, one of the active ingredients in certain Coricidin products, as a "long-standing issue" and says the cough suppressant is safe when used as directed.

In a statement released to CBS News' Crimesider, Coricidin parent company Bayer said it "extends our deepest sympathies to this family."

"Patient safety is our top priority, and we continually monitor adverse events regarding all of our products," the statement said. "There is no evidence to suggest that Coricidin is associated with violent behavior."