‘It is Definitely Odd that We Did Not Find Any Drugs’ — Sheriff Chad Bianco
RIVERSIDE — Once Riverside County law enforcement authorities discovered former state assemblymember and county administrator Brian Nestande died due to fentanyl, they immediately launched an investigation, which means they are nearly two months into the investigation.
Nestande was found dead in his Palm Desert home on March 6. The date of the autopsy report is April 5.
Steven Hernandez, mayor of Coachella and chief of staff to Supervisor V, Manuel Perez, found Nestande unresponsive in his home. Hernandez had last seen him three days prior. Perez and Nestande were also close friends. There is no mention of Perez in the coroner’s report. Perez did not respond to two requests for comment from Uken Report.
“Prior to the toxicology results there was nothing indicating anything other than a natural death,” Sheriff Chad Bianco told Uken Report. “Based on what we know of fentanyl and how people die, it is definitely odd that we did not find any drugs or drug paraphernalia at the house.”
A couple of times in the report, the house was referred to as “clean.” No cocaine residue was found, which is atypical, begging the question, did someone clean it up before authorities got there?
The investigation is aimed at determining where and how the drugs were obtained and ingested, if at all possible, the sheriff said.
“District Attorney Hestrin and I are leading the nation in our prosecution of fentanyl-related deaths,” Bianco said. “We treat them as poisonings and the person responsible for supplying the drug could be charged in the death.”
Each case is complex and different, and we cannot predict the time needed to complete the investigation, the sheriff said.
The amount of Fentanyl in Nestande’s system was 13.6 ng/ml. Obviously, an amount to kill him, but is it an excessive amount?
“I have seen higher, and I have seen lower amounts in the blood,” Bianco said. “Fentanyl is a potent drug and even the smallest amount is potentially fatal depending on the person.”
Nestande was a beloved lawmaker, Coachella Valley resident, husband, father and friend. His death sent an electric shock throughout the valley.
Image Sources
- 2024-Brian-Nestande-Younger-v2-800×568 (1): Courtesy photo
- Fentanyl,Deaths,News,Headlines,Rising,Increase,Overdoses,Drug,Addiction,3d: Shutterstock