Family, friends worry father and son died from fentanyl overdose; police shift gears

After the death of a Santa Rosa man who police had said could be charged in the death of his 13-month-old son, investigators are focused on learning who supplied drugs that family and friends worry may have killed Patrick O’Neill and his son, Liam.

While police said they will need to wait several weeks before toxicology and autopsy results pinpoint the cause of the two deaths, Patrick O’Neill’s father, Demian O’Neill, said his son died of liver failure that appears to have been caused by a fentanyl overdose. Doctors found the powerful drug in his system, and his son had struggled with addiction, Demian O’Neill said.

Police were alerted about Patrick O’Neill and his son, Liam Richard Savoy-O’Neill, Saturday afternoon, when they received a call from the boy’s mother. She had left work during her lunch break to check on them at the west Santa Rosa home where O’Neill lived, Santa Rosa Police Lt. Dan Marcinik said.

Both father and child were unresponsive when the mother, who did not live at the home, found them inside Patrick O’Neill’s bedroom.

Narcotics and drug paraphernalia were found beside O’Neill, police said.

First responders’ efforts to revive Liam, who was not breathing, were not successful and he was pronounced dead at the home.

On Saturday night, police said they had arrested Patrick O’Neill, who was at a local hospital, on suspicion of murder in connection with his son’s death, but O’Neill would die Monday night after his father and mother removed him from life support.

At the time of Patrick O’Neill’s death, he had suffered multiple heart attacks and his kidneys had started to shut down, his father said.

Following Patrick O’Neill’s death, police are investigating who supplied O’Neill with the drugs found at the home and confirming whether they were responsible for his or his son’s death, Marincik said.

No one had been arrested in connection with the drugs as of Thursday afternoon, though investigators were actively pursuing leads, Marincik said.

“Once we determine everything, we’d have to work with prosecuting agencies to decide what they want to do with it,” Marincik said.

An autopsy for Patrick O’Neill, 29, was completed Wednesday and the boy’s was done on Monday, though definitive conclusions won’t be made for several weeks, Marincik said.

Toxicology tests to determine what chemical substances were in their systems, if any, and lab results for the narcotics found in the room will also take time, he added.

“We suspect that drug use ultimately caused the death of the child and Mr. O’Neill, but we can’t necessarily confirm that until we get the toxicology results back,” Marincik said.

Evidence collected so far suggests O’Neill and his son were alone in the room before each was exposed to the drugs, Marincik said. O’Neill rented a room in the home from a woman, and at least one other roommate lived there, he said.

“We have not found any witnesses or any reason to believe there was anyone else inside the room,” Marincik said.

Close friend Michael Arevalo said Patrick O’Neill had a “history of using.” The two had been friends since 2010 and used to do drugs together. Arevalo said O’Neill had been trying to get clean in recent months for his son.

“He had his son, which was kind of like an inspiration for me to have kids because I saw how it was changing his life for the better,” Arevalo said. “But he’s been struggling with addiction for a while.”

Arevalo, who moved to Woodland, Washington, a few weeks ago, was at the beach with his family Saturday when he got a call from a mutual friend saying Liam had died. A little while later, Arevalo said he learned that O’Neill had overdosed.

He said that many of O’Neill’s friends and family did not know he had started using again. O’Neill had just moved to the home on Darek Drive where he was found unresponsive, after living in a sober housing environment for three months, Arevalo said.

He said he did not believe O’Neill would ever intentionally harm Liam, adding that he hopes the tragedy raises awareness about the dangers of fentanyl. Demian O’Neill said he hoped nobody else will have to experience the grief of losing a loved one to fentanyl. He also said that for many people, like his son, addiction is “not a choice.”

“I understand that it might be reckless around a child, but we need to consider how strong the affliction of addiction is,” Demian O’Neill said. “(Patrick) loved that little man more than anything.”

You can reach Staff Writer Chantelle Lee at 707-521-5337 or chantelle.lee@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ChantelleHLee. You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com.