SOLEDAD — A Soledad High School senior who was set to graduate in June died this past weekend after ingesting a lethal dose of fentanyl.
“Over the weekend our community suffered another tragedy due to a narcotic overdose,” Soledad Police said on social media Monday.
Officers responded to a medical emergency at a local residence on May 21 at 6:45 a.m.
According to police, the 18-year-old student ingested a counterfeit pill that contained a deadly dose of fentanyl, which caused an “immediate medical reaction, and sadly, their death followed almost immediately.”
Investigators on scene located several more counterfeit pills that also tested positive for fentanyl, police said.
South Monterey County Task Force, which consists of the Soledad and Greenfield police departments, Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, is conducting the investigation.
Police said the death is being investigated and treated as a homicide.
Anyone with information regarding the sale of narcotics in the cities of Soledad and Greenfield are asked to contact the Task Force at 831-223-5139. Calls can remain anonymous.
“Soledad Police Department offers free Narcan (which can treat a narcotic overdose) to all of our residents, no questions asked,” police said.
