Man charged with murder after woman dies from fentanyl overdose in East Texas

A man was arrested in Rockwall County for the fentanyl-related death of an East Texas woman who overdosed in late January.

According to the Hopkins County Sheriff's Office, 26-year-old Tyler Bromley is charged with murder in the death of an unidentified woman.

It happened on Tuesday, Jan. 30. Deputies said they found the victim's body inside her home in Hopkins County and determined she died from a fentanyl overdose.

The sheriff's office said once the autopsy confirmed the woman's death was caused by the drug, they secured an arrest warrant for Bromely.

Bromley was arrested on Thursday, Feb. 15, in Rockwall and booked into the Rockwall County Jail before being extradited to the Hopkins County Jail.

WHAT IS FENTANYL?

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Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10-15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose.

Without laboratory testing, there is no way to know how much fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or powder. If you encounter fentanyl in any form, do not handle it and call 911 immediately.

Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 107,622 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, with 66% of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

Drug poisonings are the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. Fentanyl available in the United States is primarily supplied by two criminal drug networks, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

WHAT IS RAINBOW FENTANYL?

In August 2022 the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a public advisory about the alarming emerging trend of colorful fentanyl available nationwide.

Brightly-colored fentanyl, dubbed "rainbow fentanyl" in the media, is being seized in multiple forms, including pills, powder, and blocks that resemble sidewalk chalk.

“Rainbow fentanyl—fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes—is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentanyl and defeat the Mexican drug cartels that are responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in the United States.”

Despite claims that certain colors may be more potent than others, there is no indication through DEA’s laboratory testing that this is the case. The DEA said every color, shape, and size of fentanyl should be considered extremely dangerous.