2 Santa Rosa high school students die of suspected fentanyl overdoses, police say

SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- Four teenagers in Santa Rosa overdosed on suspected fentanyl this weekend and two died, police said Sunday night. A suspected drug dealer has been arrested and investigators are determining if all the overdoses were related.

A 16-year-old Santa Rosa High School girl and an 18-year-old male Montgomery High School student were found unresponsive in a bed at a home in the 2100 block of Brookwood Drive on Saturday, according to police. The female caller to 911 had entered the residence after no one answered the door. Officers and first responders arrived at about 8:15 p.m. and the pair were declared deceased soon after, Santa Rosa Police said.

Earlier that day at 5:15 a.m., two more girls aged 14 and 16 were hospitalized due to a suspected fentanyl overdose in Santa Rosa, according to police.

Detectives identified a suspect in the deaths of the teens on Brookwood Drive as a 21-year-old male. Investigators believe the four overdose victims bought what they thought was cocaine, but "was most likely fentanyl," police said in a release sent out Sunday night. It is still being determined whether what the teens ingested was fentanyl or cocaine laced with fentanyl.

According to police, the suspect was located around 12:45 p.m. on Sunday in his vehicle parked in the parking lot of a retail business in the 1900 block of Santa Rosa Avenue.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for both the suspect and his vehicle and allegedly located narcotics and other items indicative of narcotic sales such as small plastic baggies containing a "distinctive black peace sign logo believed to be linked to the overdose deaths of the two teenagers," police said.

Investigators believe the suspect sold the narcotics that caused the death of the teenagers and are investigating the suspect's possible connection to other overdoses in Santa Rosa, the department said.

The suspect was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of two counts of second-degree homicide and furnishing narcotics to a minor and a minor four or more years younger. He is being held without bail.

The 14-year-old and 16-year-old female overdose victims remain hospitalized, police said. "Their names or schools of attendance will not be released at this time due to the ongoing investigation and to protect their privacy."

Police noted that on Sunday evening, Santa Rosa City Schools released a message referencing the death of four students. Two of the students are the 16 and 18-year-old victims referenced in this release, Santa Rosa Police said. The third is a 19-year-old male and former student, and though drugs are suspected in his death, "it is unlikely to be related to this overdose death," police said. The fourth student is a 21-year-old male, who is believed to died from natural causes. All four deaths are currently being investigated.