SANTA FE, N.M. — 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 . “It just frightens people in terms of knowing it’s here and it’s so dangerous,” said Leslie Hayes, a family physician in Española. New Mexico routinely ranks among the top states in the American West for drug overdose deaths, though rates declined somewhat between 2021 and 2023.

— The Associated Press