Murrieta Fentanyl Death Leads To Arrest, Booking Charge Of Murder

MURRIETA, CA — A Perris resident was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murder for allegedly supplying a fatal dose of fentanyl to a 22-year-old man who died in Murrieta.

Miguel Angel Gonzalez, 19, was taken into custody following a two-month investigation by the Murrieta Police Department that began around 9:13 p.m. Feb. 20 when officers received a 911 call about a possible drug overdose in the 35000 block of Mitchell Road.

Police and Murrieta Fire & Rescue responded and found the unconscious victim. Despite life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity was not released.

It was determined the victim ingested fentanyl and died as a result of an overdose, police said.

During their investigation, police identified Gonzalez as the fentanyl supplier. Details on how law enforcement tracked the death to him were not disclosed.

After a search warrant was served Thursday at Gonzalez's home near Redlands Boulevard and San Jacinto Avenue, he was taken into custody. Jail records show he was booked into Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of murder. He was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective John Ferrulli at 951-461-6827 or jferrulli@murrietaca.gov, or Sgt. Jay Elliott at 951-461-6395 or jelliott@murrietaca.gov.

Murrieta police released a statement about the dangers of fentanyl:

"Fentanyl, is a synthetic opioid that is at the heart of the most recent drug epidemic and is the leading cause of death for people ages 18-45 in the United States. This dangerously potent drug is approximately 50 times stronger than Heroin and 100 times stronger than Morphine. Fentanyl is often found mixed in with other illicit drugs including Heroin, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine. Counterfeit pills posing as Xanax or Oxycodone often contain Fentanyl because it is so cheap to make. These counterfeit pills are easy to purchase, widely available, and often contain deadly doses of fentanyl. Pills purchased outside of a licensed pharmacy are illegal, dangerous, and potentially lethal."