San Francisco couple face murder charges over toddler’s fatal fentanyl overdose

By Carlos E. Castañeda

A San Francisco toddler’s fatal overdose due to fentanyl poisoning earlier this year has resulted in murder charges against the child’s parents, the district attorney announced on Wednesday.

On Feb. 12, 911 received a call at around 5:16 a.m. about a child not breathing at a home on 18th Street near Dolores Park. Police said medics arrived and pronounced the two-year-old child dead. Medics also observed indications that the child had been dead for several hours. 

Police said officers discovered fentanyl and drug paraphernalia at the home, and an autopsy determined the cause of death to be acute fentanyl toxicity, according to court documents.

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said at a press conference on Wednesday that an amended complaint was filed charging the child’s mother, 38-year-old Michelle Price, and her boyfriend, 43-year-old Steve Ramirez, with second-degree murder. It marks the first murder case filed in San Francisco in connection with a fatal fentanyl overdose. 

According to court documents, Price exhibited droopy eyes, slurred speech, and an emotionless demeanor, while Ramirez allegedly fled from the scene on a bicycle. The two were initially charged with felony child endangerment, possession of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia, and Ramirez was also charged with resisting, obstructing, and delaying a peace officer.

“It was clear to me that the parents were aware of its lethality and danger of fentanyl,” Jenkins said. “There wasn’t really anywhere safe for this child to be inside of this home.” 

Aside from the amended complaint charging murder, Price and Ramirez were also alleged to have willfully caused harm or injury resulting in death to a child. Both defendants were allowed to remain out of custody over prosecutors’ objections, according to the DA’s Office, and Jenkins said she would seek to have each detained without bail pending trial.

The motion to amend the complaint was scheduled to be heard on Thursday at the Hall of Justice.