Michael Vasquez
Michael Vasquez, 20, was a man whose mother called him her best friend, and his sister Marissa said the family hoped he would get the mental health care he needed. He died in May 2022 in Riverside County custody, where deputies said they found him unresponsive in his cell with a white powdery substance on his body and that their attempts to revive him failed. The sheriff's department attributed his death to a fentanyl overdose. His mother said he would never have taken fentanyl knowingly and questioned how it happened in a supposedly secure facility. The family's federal lawsuit alleges negligence, wrongful death and medical malpractice against the county, the sheriff's department and Sheriff Chad Bianco, and the sheriff has said the suits are frivolous and that deputies and nurses do all they can to prevent such deaths.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed; neglect alleged). Riverside County sheriff's deputies said he died of a fentanyl overdose, his mother says he would never have taken fentanyl knowingly, and his family's federal lawsuit alleges the county and sheriff's department were negligent.
Reported by: Riverside County sheriff's deputies (the agency that held him); Kathy Nigro, his mother (family or their lawyers); his family's federal civil rights lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Riverside County, the sheriff's department and Sheriff Chad Bianco alleging negligence, wrongful death and medical malpractice, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.