San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins filed murder charges against a couple in connection with the fentanyl overdose death of a 2-year-old child.
Couple Michelle Price, 38, and Steve Ramirez, 43, now face second-degree murder charges after prosecutors amended an earlier complaint that initially alleged child endangerment, drug possession and paraphernalia offenses.
In a Wednesday press conference, Jenkins said the decision followed the release of the medical examiner’s findings and toxicology results, which determined the child died of acute fentanyl toxicity. Authorities said naloxone — commonly known by the brand name Narcan — was also present in the toddler’s system.
“This is the first homicide case that we have filed in connection with a fatal overdose due to fentanyl,” Jenkins said. “And I want to be clear to parents who may be struggling with substance abuse disorder: First and foremost, we must protect the children in San Francisco.”
The charges stem from a Feb. 12 response by San Francisco Police Department officers to a home on the 3800 block of 18th Street, where a caller reported a child was not breathing. Medics pronounced the toddler dead at the scene and observed signs that the child had been dead for hours, the DA’s Office said in a news release.
Inside the home, officers reported finding drug paraphernalia, including used pipes and lighters, as well as a Narcan container and a white powder later identified as fentanyl “loosely sitting out in the open” and accessible within the child’s reach, Jenkins said. Investigators also noted bottles of spoiled milk and stained bedding in the room, according to the news release.
“There wasn’t really anywhere safe for this child to be inside of this home,” Jenkins said.
Price allegedly showed signs of impairment when officers arrived and was detained on suspicion of child endangerment. Ramirez allegedly attempted to leave the scene on a bicycle and was taken into custody after a pursuit during which an officer was injured. Toxicology reports found high levels of fentanyl and methamphetamine in both Price and Ramirez at the time of their arrests, according to court records.
Jenkins alleged both defendants were aware of the drug’s dangers, pointing to the presence of Narcan as evidence that the adults understood fentanyl’s lethality but failed to prevent exposure.
“Our theory will be a conscious disregard for human life,” she said, emphasizing the case does not allege an intentional killing but rather “reckless” conduct in allowing access to the drug.
Price was identified by prosecutors as the child’s mother, while Ramirez was described as her boyfriend; it remains unclear whether he was the child’s father. Both were previously released from custody over prosecutors’ objections following their initial charges. The District Attorney’s Office said it will now seek to have them detained without bail pending trial.
Jenkins said her office has previously charged parents with child endangerment in nonfatal overdose cases but noted the situation shifts drastically when a death occurs.
“This is a moment in time where people have to realize that we take these situations very seriously,” she said, “and where, I believe, parents who knowingly possess fentanyl, who understand its lethality and the danger it poses, allow their children to be exposed to it, this is something that can come with respect to accountability if a child dies.”
The city has grappled with high rates of opioid overdoses for years. In 2025, over 600 people died due to accidental overdoses in the city, according to a preliminary report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in San Francisco.