Juvenile Fentanyl Poisoning Arrest 

October 30, 2023 – Riverside County Sheriff’s Office officials report that on July 24, 2023, at 2:21 p.m., personnel from the Riverside Sheriff’s Jurupa Valley Station were dispatched to the 6400 block of Etiwanda Avenue in unincorporated Jurupa Valley regarding an unresponsive juvenile. Deputies and paramedics performed lifesaving measures but the teenager was pronounced deceased at the scene. The case was immediately assumed by the Riverside Sheriff’s Office’s Overdose Death Investigations and Narcotics Unit (ODIN). The Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau determined the teen died as a result of fentanyl poisoning. Investigators worked to identify the suspect responsible for selling the fentanyl that killed the teenager. As a result of their efforts, the suspect was identified as Sammy Estrada, an 18-year-old resident of Riverside.

On October 11, 2023, personnel from the Riverside Sheriff’s Office’s Southwest Corridor Task Force attempted to detain Estrada near the 9500 block of Miller Street in the city of Riverside. As they approached his vehicle, Estrada fled the area at a high rate of speed and was not located.  Shortly after Estrada fled the area, personnel from ODIN and the Gang Task Force served a search warrant at Estrada’s residence in the 9700 block of Indiana Avenue in the city of Riverside. During the search warrant, evidence indicative of narcotic sales, which included suspected counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, was located in Estrada’s bedroom.

On October 26, 2023, personnel from the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) located Estrada in the city of Murrieta near the 40300 block of California Oaks Road. MCU attempted to detain Estrada and he fled the area again. Estrada was eventually taken into custody near the intersection of Murrieta Hot Springs Road and Whitewood Road in the city Murrieta. During the search of Estrada’s vehicle, evidence indicative of narcotic sales, which included suspected counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, was located. Estrada was later booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center for the murder of the teen. On October 30, 2023, the investigation was presented to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and charges were filed against Estrada for murder.

This investigation is ongoing, and anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Investigator Hollingsworth at 951-955-1700. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind citizens of the dangers of illicit narcotics, many of which may contain fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times stronger than morphine and can cause death or serious bodily harm.

Reporting Deputy: Sergeant Sean Liebrand

File # JV232050092

Source: Riverside County Sheriff’s Office

Photo credit: DEA