LOS ANGELES, CA – Two high school students in Santa Rosa have died from suspected fentanyl overdoses, while two others remain hospitalized after a separate overdose incident, authorities said. A former student, 19, is also believed to have died from drug-related causes, though officials do not believe the cases are connected.
Police arrested 21-year-old Ramon Nunez on Sunday in connection with the two fatal overdoses. He faces charges including second-degree homicide and furnishing narcotics to a minor. He remains in custody at the Sonoma County Jail without bail.
Authorities were first alerted early Saturday morning when two girls, aged 14 and 16, overdosed but survived after being taken to a hospital. Later that evening, police responded to a home on Brookwood Drive, where a friend discovered two teens—an 18-year-old Montgomery High School student and a 16-year-old Santa Rosa High School student—lying unresponsive in bed. Emergency responders pronounced both dead at the scene.
Chloe Sinn, a senior at Montgomery High, said she knew the young man who died. A sign outside the school read, “Long Live Logan.”
“He was a great, intelligent person,” she said. “I had friends who were friends, and we’re all really devastated about it.”
Investigators believe the victims thought they were purchasing cocaine but were instead given fentanyl. It remains unclear whether the substance was cocaine laced with fentanyl or pure fentanyl.
“Unfortunately, the way the narcotics trade is today, you don’t know what you’re getting,” Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Patricia Seffens said. “You think you might be purchasing one type of narcotic, but fentanyl is in almost everything right now to make the product more potent. And so they can spread the product even wider.”
Police arrested Nunez around 12:45 p.m. Sunday in a parking lot on Santa Rosa Avenue. A passenger in the vehicle was also detained but later released, as investigators do not believe he was involved.
Santa Rosa City Schools officials called it an “incredibly sad day” after learning about the students’ deaths.
“It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of the passing of three current SRCS students and one former student. Our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies go out to their families, friends, and all who were touched by their lives,” one school official said.
A third student also died earlier in the week from natural causes, according to officials.
“Our hearts are broken by the loss of these young lives,” SRCS Superintendent Dr. Daisy Morales said. “As a community, we must unite to support one another and find strength in our shared grief.”
Grief counselors and support services have been made available at local schools. The school district said it is working with law enforcement in the investigation and will provide further updates as more details emerge.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the overdoses to contact the Santa Rosa Police Department.
