(L.A.) John Garcia, 60, Died From Polydrug Abuse

Case Number: 2024-12718

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 60-year-old Latino male that occurred in a hotel/motel.

The coroner’s office has identified the man as John Garcia.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death: Fentanyl, Benzylfentanyl, Methamphetamine Toxicity

RIP JOHN GARCIA (August 29, 1963 – August 10, 2024)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Saturday at 12:09 a.m.

Ruling by the deputy medical examiner was published on December 22, resumably after the results of tox screening had come back positive for the drugs.

This is considered an accidental, i.e., unintentional, overdose.

Out of over 160,000 death records made public by the county’s medical examiner since 1999, this is possibly only the third case that mentions benzylfentanyl.

Benzylfentanyl is a fentanyl analog that was first identified and temporarily placed in the U.S. Schedule I category in 1985 due to concerns about its potential for abuse as a designer drug. However, this classification was allowed to expire, and it was formally removed from controlled substance listings in 2010 after assessments indicated that it is “essentially inactive” as an opioid, with a binding affinity at the mu opioid receptor that is approximately 200 times weaker than that of fentanyl itself.