Fentanyl Poisoning Arrest 

September 12, 2025 – Riverside County Sheriff’s Office officials report that on January 8, 2025, at approximately 10:09 a.m., deputies from the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s Station responded to a call regarding an unresponsive adult female in the 14200 block of Grayling Drive in the city of Eastvale. Upon arrival, deputies located 19-year-old Kailey Pearson and immediately initiated life-saving measures. Despite their efforts, Pearson was pronounced deceased at the scene. The case was immediately assumed by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Overdose Death Investigations and Narcotics Unit (ODIN). Following a thorough investigation, the Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau determined that Pearson died as a result of fentanyl and xylazine poisoning. ODIN investigators worked diligently to identify the individual responsible for distributing the lethal narcotics. Their investigation led to the identification of 25-year-old Angelina Judena Ortega, a resident of Eastvale, as the suspect.

On September 5, 2025, ODIN personnel arrested Ortega at the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s Station. She was subsequently booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on charges related to the murder of Kailey Pearson. On September 8, 2025, the case was presented to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, which filed formal murder charges against Ortega. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with additional information is urged to contact Investigator Grier at 951-955-1790.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office reminds the public of the extreme dangers associated with illicit narcotics. Many street drugs may contain fentanyl, a synthetic opioid approximately 100 times more potent than morphine, which can cause fatal overdoses even in minute quantities.

Reporting Supervisor: Sergeant Sean Liebrand

File # EV250080031

Source & photo: Riverside County Sheriff’s Office