A U.S. border Patrol agent who was arrested in July following a traffic stop died from a fentanyl overdose,according to an autopsy report released Wednesday. The agent, 31-year-old Kevin Ortiz, was found unresponsive at his home in Riverside County, California, days after his arrest on suspicion of transporting narcotics.
the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General investigated Ortiz’s death. The autopsy steadfast the cause of death to be acute fentanyl toxicity, with contributing factors including methamphetamine and cocaine use.The findings raise questions about drug use within law enforcement and the potential for compromised border security.
Ortiz was initially pulled over July 10th by California Highway Patrol officers who discovered a large quantity of narcotics in his vehicle. He was afterward arrested and released on bail. The Department of Homeland Security had previously reported a surge in death threats against its officers amid heightened protests against immigration enforcement policies.
“have you ever had your personal details put up online and on the f- news,” ortiz said in a video recorded before his death, which was obtained by the Los angeles Times. “Have you ever had f- people stand up at your parents’ house because you’re over here in Los Angeles doing everything, dude, that’s the f- guy I am.”
Representatives for the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Border Patrol have not yet issued a statement regarding the autopsy results. The case remains under investigation.
Times staff writer Brittny Mejia contributed to this report.
