Possible fentanyl pill left in student apartment after break-in

An unidentified suspect broke into a Student Residence Center apartment Nov.  23, leaving behind a possible fentanyl pill and miscellaneous items, according to a State of New Mexico Uniform Incident Report.

The suspect returned to the scene while a University of New Mexico police officer was present, but fled and was not caught, according to the report. No Lobo Advisory or LoboAlert was issued.

"We have the LoboAlert system which – if it works as it is meant to work – there would have been a notice about this happening," Juan Camilo Gómez said – the resident who reported the burglary.

The responding officer Dino Di Donato wrote in a police report that he found no signs of forced entry. Gómez said the back door of the apartment would not shut all the way and sometimes remained unsecured, and had been like that since moving in.

“You had to close it really hard for it to ‘close,’ but many times it wouldn’t actually lock despite it being closed,” Gómez wrote.

Residence Life & Student Housing agreed to clean his apartment the following morning, Gómez said, given the possibility of the presence of fentanyl. This did not happen until Monday, Nov. 27, according to Gómez. His door was also fixed that day.

In an interview with the Daily Lobo, Gómez discussed the timeline of the evening – confirming information written in the police report.

Gómez said when he returned home on Thanksgiving, he found his bedroom door open and noticed missing items, including his laptop and video game console, as well as the presence of objects that did not belong to him such as clothing and a receipt printer.

“The biggest concern we’ve had is that he didn’t just steal things; he also left a bunch of clothing and items,” Gómez said.

UNMPD was dispatched to the apartment at around midnight Nov. 24. Di Donato noted a burnt piece of foil on the living room table and identified it as “possibly being a fentanyl pill,” according to the report. The foil and pill were taken into evidence for destruction.

“All of us were uncomfortable to be (in the apartment) over the weekend, especially if there was fentanyl,” Gómez said.

While Di Donato was investigating in the living room, Gómez said the Resident Advisor on duty and himself – who were in a different room – heard the front door close behind them. They opened it and saw the suspect, who fled.

The RA followed the suspect toward the parking lot while Gómez stayed in the apartment to inform Di Donato, according to the police report and Gómez.

Di Donato and the RA “attempted to locate the suspect but were unable to, as dispatch was unable to track him further throughout the UNM campus,” the report reads.

UNMPD did not have enough information to identify a subject at the time of the report.

Gómez’s downstairs neighbor, who asked not to be identified, also reported an unknown suspect knocking on the door of his apartment earlier that day.

“I'm an international student; I don't have family nearby. So at some point, I had to come back here. I've been crashing at different friends' places, but I live here,” Gómez said.

Lily Alexander is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @llilyalexander

Lauren Lifke is a beat reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @lauren_lifke

---

---