Mother, Daughter Found Dead In Suspected Fentanyl Overdose: SRPD

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A Santa Rosa woman and her adult daughter who were found dead Thursday after taking what investigators believe were fatal doses of fentanyl were identified Tuesday by the Sonoma County Sheriff-Coroner's Office as 58-year-old Annette Renee Fouche and 37-year-old Alexia Rae Fouche Gillam.

Their deaths were discovered when a citizen called police around 3 p.m. Thursday to report seeing a person down in front of a residence in the 3000 block of Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Brenda Harrington said.

Officers found Gillam outside the home; her 58-year-old mother was found inside the home in the kitchen, according to the sergeant.

"It appears they died earlier that day," Harrington said.

There were no indications of foul play in the deaths, and Santa Rosa police officers did not find any children or witnesses at the scene, the sergeant said.

"Items at the scene led investigators to believe it was a fentanyl overdose," Harrington said.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid pain reliever that according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Most recent cases of fentanyl-related harm, overdose and death in the U.S. are linked to illegally made fentanyl sold through illegal drug markets, according to the CDC.