MADERA, Calif. (KGPE.KSEE) – A 24-year-old found dead due to the use of fentanyl has led to the suspect selling the drug being identified and arrested, according to the Madera Police Department.

On August 4, officers said they responded to a report of a male subject who had possibly overdosed. The 24-year-old victim was found by his parents unresponsive in the bathroom and was pronounced deceased at the scene.  The victim was known to use fentanyl and after the autopsy, the victim was found to have lethal doses of fentanyl in his system. 

The Special Investigations Unit says Detective Smith was assigned to the case. As a result of Detective Smith’s investigation, the suspect was identified as 25-year-old Elias Soliz. To establish the identity of the suspect and evidence of criminality, Detective Smith authored numerous cell phone, social media, tracker, and tower dump search warrants. The cell phone and social media warrants for both the victim and Soliz confirmed the sale and purchase of fentanyl from Soliz to the victim. 

Investigators say the tracker which was placed on Soliz’s vehicle showed a pattern of several short stops within Madera over a month-long period, consistent with drug sales. The cell phone tower dump done on the victim and Soliz’s cell phone supported that the victim and Soliz seemingly met just hours prior to the victim’s death.

Additionally, investigators say Soliz was not only selling fentanyl, but he was also distributing various other narcotics including Xanax and Norco in the community. Officers say Soliz is a Norteno criminal street gang member and has a violent criminal history including arrests and convictions for pimping, and robbery.

On November 2, officers say the case culminated with the arrest of Soliz on a federal no-bail warrant for the distribution of fentanyl, which led to the death of the victim.

Soliz is currently pending prosecution for an unrelated charge of an assault with a deadly weapon and a gang enhancement according to Police. In this incident, Soliz attacked a subject unprovoked, whom he believed to be in a rival gang.