Report: Rio Arriba County Sheriff Merrifield died from fentanyl, alcohol overdose

Yahoo

16-05-2025

The death of Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield last month was caused by a drug overdose involving alcohol as well as the synthetic opioid fentanyl, according to reports released Thursday by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator.
The findings regarding Merrifield's death highlight the ongoing crisis of opioid overdose deaths in Rio Arriba County, which has the highest drug overdose death rate in the state.
Merrifield was found dead in his patrol vehicle outside his house near Abiquiú Lake in Rio Arriba County on Easter morning, April 20. A close friend of the sheriff told 911 dispatchers he had helped Merrifield — who he said appeared to be intoxicated — get home early in the morning and left him in the driver's seat of the vehicle; when he returned later that day, he said, the sheriff was unresponsive and not breathing.
An autopsy report states 50-year-old Merrifield's death was caused by "the toxic effects of fentanyl and ethanol," ruling the death an accident.
"A postmortem urine drug screen was presumptively positive for cocaine and fentanyl," the report states, adding toxicology blood tests were requested and reported separately. The autopsy was performed April 21, the day after Merrifield died.
The separate toxicology report notes Merrifield's body tested positive for alcohol, caffeine and fentanyl. Additionally, the tests found substances related to the metabolism of opioids. At the time of testing, his blood-alcohol concentration was found to be 0.071, a little below the legal driving limit of 0.08.
The level of fentanyl in Merrifield's blood was 23 nanograms per milliliter, with the report noting that in other fentanyl deaths blood concentrations have been reported as low as 3 ng/mL, and that postmortem blood fentanyl concentrations have ranged from 0.30 to 110 ng/mL.
The forensic pathologist noted Merrifield's body did not have any significant internal or external injuries.
Sheriff: 'Profound disappointment'
Current Rio Arriba County Sheriff Lorenzo Aguilar — who was appointed by county commissioners the day after Merrifield was found dead — issued a statement Thursday expressing "profound disappointment and concern" regarding the findings in the reports.
"It is essential to emphasize that no individual is above the law, particularly those of us who have taken an oath to uphold it," Aguilar wrote. "While we all make mistakes as human beings, public officials are held to a higher standard due to the trust and responsibility bestowed upon them by the community they serve."
Aguilar wrote: "Events of this nature" can "significantly undermine public confidence in law enforcement."
"Therefore, I remain steadfast in my commitment to ensuring that all deputies are held accountable for their actions," he wrote. "The behavior exhibited in this case does not align with the values and integrity that characterize the dedicated men and women of the Rio Arriba Sheriff's Office."
Aguilar wrote he will "work diligently to restore faith in our office and ensure that we continue to serve our community with the respect and integrity it rightfully expects."
Aguilar declined to answer questions Thursday regarding whether any other employees of the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office had been implicated in the apparent illegal drug use by the department's top official, or whether an internal investigation was underway.
State police mum on inquiry
New Mexico State Police opened an investigation into Merrifield's death on the day his body was found, but state police have not disclosed details or records of their findings. The state Department of Public Safety has withheld all reports from the investigation in response to a request from The New Mexican, citing the case as an "ongoing/active investigation."
State police Sgt. Ricardo Breceda declined to answer questions about the agency's investigation in an email Thursday, noting the investigation is "ongoing."
"We contact investigators who determine what information can/can't be released," Breceda wrote. "For similar reasons, we can't release any information at this time."
A 911 call placed by Merrifield's friend on the day he was found offers some details of the sheriff's final hours.
The man told dispatchers shortly after noon on Easter Sunday he had driven to the area of Merrifield's home in Abiquiú around 3 a.m. to help his friend after Merrifield and a woman had apparently been in a crash. The man said he followed Merrifield — who was driving his patrol vehicle — several blocks home and then left Merrifield in the driver's seat and drove the woman home.
Several people have reported to The New Mexican seeing Merrifield the previous evening at a car show at the Ohkay Hotel Casino in Ohkay Owingeh.
Merrifield's blood also tested positive for the active ingredients in Viagra and Cialis, two medications used to treat erectile dysfunction, according to the toxicology report.
The man told dispatchers he believed Merrifield was drunk, but he thought the sheriff was about to get out of his vehicle and walk inside his house; instead, the friend came back about nine hours later and found Merrifield sitting where he had left him, dead.
Persistent opioid epidemic
Fentanyl has become the primary target in a desperate fight against a continuing opioid epidemic throughout the state and the country. Rio Arriba County — where Merrifield served as sheriff for more than three years — has the highest drug overdose death rate in the state, in spite of its low population.
The county had an overdose death rate in 2023 of 141 per 100,000 residents, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That compares with a national average rate of 31.3.
The next-highest overdose death rate in New Mexico in 2023 was Torrance County, at 98 overdose deaths per 100,000; Santa Fe County's rate that year was 58.7.
The most recent provisional counts by the federal agency state 46 people died from drug overdoses in Rio Arriba County in the 12 months ending in September.
Merrifield's time as sheriff of Rio Arriba County followed two previous sheriffs who were each sentenced to prison during their terms. Former Sheriff Tommy Rodella was convicted of federal charges after he pulled his gun during a road-rage incident and struck another man with his badge.
Following Rodella, Sheriff James Lujan was convicted of aiding a felon and intimidating a witness after an incident involving former Española City Councilor Philip Chacon.
Merrifield testified as a witness in Lujan's trial, and he was appointed interim sheriff after Lujan resigned. He was elected to the role in 2022.
Some Española Valley residents expressed shock over the findings. Former Española City Councilor Dennis Tim Salazar said he knew Merrifield for years and played basketball alongside the former sheriff on a recreational team earlier this year. They played their last game one week before Merrifield was found dead, he said.
He said Merrifield was "a wonderful guy" who is "very much missed."
"Those words — fentanyl and Billy — they just don't go together, and it really makes me wonder if there might be more to it," Salazar said of his friend's death. "It just doesn't make sense at all."