A 44-year-old Florida woman has been arrested after a man overdosed and died on Fentanyl.
On Monday, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) arrested 44-year-old Delia Marie Dean of Floral City for first-degree felony murder due to distribution of Fentanyl, which resulted in the overdose death of 48-year-old Jonathan Michael Bishop of Inverness, Florida.
“This case is a landmark case for us here in Citrus County,” said Sheriff Prendergast. “As Gov. Ron DeSantis said after signing his bill into law last week to increase the penalties for those who illegally sell and distribute opioids in our state, Floridians of all walks of life have witnessed the destruction caused by the opioid epidemic across our state.’ Last year our county had 377 reported drug overdoses with 81 deaths – a 47% increase from the year prior. Our office stands with Gov. DeSantis in his fight to end this deadly crisis and save lives. This case is just one of many more to come in our effort to hold those responsible for destroying our communities.”
On April 20, 2022, CCSO deputies were dispatched to a residence off West Hudson Street about a death.
Upon arrival, officials located Jonathan in his room, where he was pronounced deceased due to obvious signs of rigor mortis. After speaking with the decedent’s mother and witness on the scene, it was determined that the decedent did not have a known medical history that could have been attributed to his passing.
While inside the residence, deputies noticed a white powdery substance in a line with a rolled-up bill next to it in the decedent’s bathroom. The powder was field-tested and yielded a positive result for the presence of Fentanyl.
Both the white powder and bill were collected for evidence. The decedent’s body was turned over to the medical examiner to determine the cause of death.
CCSO’s Major Crimes detectives and Tactical Impact Unit (TIU) detectives continued to work collectively on this case.
Their initial investigation revealed that Jonathan had contacted Dean for illicit narcotics, which she provided him on numerous occasions.
Detectives were then able to locate Dean just eight short days after Jonathan’s death to question her about her interactions with Jonathan and his illicit drug use involvement.
Dean admitted to supplying the decedent with narcotics on various occasions, specifically on the night of his death.
On May 19, 2022, the toxicology report from the Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the cause of death as a combined drug toxicity of Fentanyl and alcohol.
Based on the findings of this case, along with the evidence collected and interviews conducted, an arrest warrant was signed by the Honorable Judge Falvey yesterday, and Dean was arrested merely hours later.
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