2 Santa Rosa high school students die from suspected fentanyl overdose

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Two Santa Rosa high school students have died after allegedly overdosing on fentanyl, Santa Rosa police said. Two other students remain hospitalized after also allegedly overdosing on fentanyl in a separate incident Saturday.

A former student, a 19-year-old, is believed to have also died from drugs. However, officials said they don't believe the cases are related.

A 21-year-old, Ramon Nunez, was arrested Sunday in connection with the two fatal overdoses. 

The backstory:

Santa Rosa authorities were first alerted around 5:15 a.m. Saturday about a suspected fentanyl overdose involving 14 and 16-year-old girls. Those girls were taken to a hospital and survived.

Later in the day, around 8:15 p.m., officers visited a home in the 2100 block on Brookwood Drive after a friend contacted police when she came across two teens lying unresponsive in bed.

Officials said the friend let herself inside the home when no one answered the door, and found the unconscious 16-year-old girl who attended Santa Rosa High and an 18-year-old boy who attended Montgomery High.

Medics rushed to the scene, but the teens were declared dead.

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."

Police said they are investigating to see if the cases are related. 

Officials said they believe the victims in both cases bought what they believed to be cocaine, but it was most likely fentanyl. It's unclear if the substance was cocaine laced with fentanyl or if it was solely 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."

A 'Long Live Logan' sign was posted outside Montgomery High School where a student died of fentanyl. Feb. 24, 2025 

What we know:

Nunez was arrested on Sunday around 12:45 p.m. in the parking lot of a business on the 1900 block of Santa Rosa Avenue. 

A passenger was also detained, but police say they released the individual as they don't believe he was involved in the incident.

Nunez was arrested on second-degree homicide charges, furnishing narcotics to a minor, and furnishing narcotics to a minor four or more years younger. 

He remains in the Sonoma County Jail without bail.

What they're saying:

SRCS officials said it was an "incredibly sad day" upon learning of the deaths of their students and a former student.

"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," said one school official.

In addition to the two suspected overdose deaths, a third student died from natural causes earlier in the week.

"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.

SRCS said grief counselors and support services will be available at their schools. They said they are working with the police department in the investigation and that they will share more details as they become available.

Anyone with information about the overdoses is asked to contact the Santa Rosa Police Department.