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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Medical investigators have determined that
a county sheriff in northern New Mexico died from the toxic
effects of fentanyl and alcohol, according to autopsy results
made public Thursday.
Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield, 50, was found dead
inside his patrol vehicle outside his Abiquiu home on Easter
morning following a minor crash.
The death of the popular sheriff — retained by voters in 2022
after his initial appointment — touched off investigations
involving state police. Forensic experts at the New Mexico
Office of the Medical Investigator found that the death was
accidental, citing the lethal effects of fentanyl and alcohol.
The determination adds to a grim tally of opioid-related
overdoses and deaths in the Española Valley and nearby
communities amid a proliferation of fentanyl.
“It just frightens people in terms of knowing it’s here and it’s
so dangerous,” said Leslie Hayes, a family physician in Española
who specializes in treating opioid use disorders. "It's scary."
New Mexico routinely ranks among the top states in the American
West for drug overdose deaths, though rates declined somewhat
between 2021 and 2023. Fentanyl was involved in 65% of overdose
deaths statewide in 2023, according to New Mexico Health
Department statistics.
Rio Arriba County commissioners have sworn in Lorenzo Aguilar to
lead the sheriff's office.
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