On Friday, San Francisco police were called around 6:33 a.m. to assist on-site paramedics in a possible drug overdose on the 600 block of Minna Street. Upon arriving, the victim — a 16-year-old female — was found dead, and the death has been deemed suspicious.
The past two years have seen a record-breaking number of people have died of drug overdoses in San Francisco. Last year alone, 650 people died of drug overdoses in SF, which represented an almost 9% dip in drug-related death from the prior year. And while the pandemic has, since March of 2020, claimed a recorded 756 deaths in San Francisco County, drug overdoses — of which about 70% involved fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that's anywhere from 80-100 times stronger than morphine — have taken at least 1,300 lives in the city during that same time period.
San Francisco Police Investigate SOMA Suspicious Death
— San Francisco Police (@SFPD) February 20, 2022
The victim is identified as a 16-year-old female. Please visit the attached link to read the full synopsis regarding this incident ➡️ https://t.co/b37kHqa8oJ pic.twitter.com/nHBD4UV4fm
Before the weekend, a teenage girl was found suffering from an apparent drug overdose in SoMa that would later claim her life.
"Officers arrived on the scene where medics declared the victim deceased," reads a news release published by SFPD, noting that police were initially called to assist on-site paramedics. "The victim is identified as a 16-year-old female. The San Francisco County Medical Examiner responded and declared the death suspicious."
Because of the "suspicious nature of the death," investigators from the SFPD Homicide Detail also responded to the scene; that department is currently leading the investigation.
The department notes that no arrests have been made and the case remains an open investigation; anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD Tip Line at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD; those leaving information may remain anonymous.
Related: SF Overdose Deaths Declined Slightly In 2021, Marking Hopeful Turning Point
Photo: Getty Images/kali9