Man Arrested for Fatal Fentanyl Dose in California

Michael Garcia, 23, has been arrested near the U.S.-Mexico border in connection with the fatal fentanyl overdose of his then-17-year-old girlfriend in Desert Hot Springs in August 2022. Authorities allege that Garcia provided the potent drug to the teenager, who was found unresponsive in a bedroom, and he reportedly confessed to buying fentanyl pills and supplying them to her despite knowing her past addiction issues. Following a months-long investigation, law enforcement tracked him down after learning he may have fled to Mexico. He faces charges including unlawfully furnishing a controlled substance to a minor and felony child endangerment, and is being held on $75,000 bail. The Riverside County District Attorney's Office has filed criminal charges against him, with further arrests anticipated in connection to the case. The rise in fentanyl-related deaths has prompted law enforcement to take stronger actions against those supplying the drug linked to fatalities.