Los Angeles, Ca

Family devastated after young Southern California father dies from fentanyl

Published

6 months ago

June 30, 2024

Family devastated after young Southern California father dies from fentanyl

Loved ones are remembering a young Southern California father who died from fentanyl as the suspect who sold him the drugs was sentenced to prison.

On November 11, 2022, Ian Pangburn, 26, purchased fentanyl from Javier Carlos Cruz, 23, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Pangurn ingested a fentanyl pill and died the next day. A toxicologist determined that fentanyl poisoning had caused his death.

Pangburn’s mother, Jennifer Ochoa, said her son had previously struggled with drug use but was working to turn his life around when he died.

“He was a happy person at times and he struggled,” Ochoa said. “I won’t downplay it. There’s a stigma about drug users that they take a drug and it’s their fault and they deserve to die, but it’s not [true]. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t ask to die. Unfortunately, he made a choice and the consequences of his choice ended up being death.”

Pangburn, who leaves behind a 4-year-old daughter, had graduated from Alta Loma High School where he played football and was attending classes at Mt. San Antonio College as he worked on improving his future.

Ian Pangburn, 26, is seen in a family photo. (Pangburn Family)
Ian Pangburn and his young daughter are seen in a family photo. (Pangburn Family)
Ian Pangburn, 26, is seen in a family photo. (Pangburn Family)
Ian Pangburn’s mother, Jennifer Ochoa, and his sister, Cecilia Ochoa, speak to KTLA.
Ian Pangburn, who played football in high school, is seen with his mother in a family photo. (Pangburn Family)
Ian Pangburn and his young daughter are seen in a family photo. (Pangburn Family)
Ian Pangburn and his siblings are seen in a family photo. (Pangburn Family)

He had been messaging Cruz, the man who sold him the deadly narcotics, for a while before he took that fatal dose.

Cruz was arrested on December 27, 2022. While searching his home, Ontario Police discovered nearly 1,500 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, along with three semiautomatic handguns.

Ochoa is speaking out following her son’s death, warning others about the extreme dangers of fentanyl and drug trafficking.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially fatal dose and lab testing indicates that seven out of 10 pills seized from suspects contain a lethal dose.

“Fentanyl, even one pill, it just depends on the potency because they don’t have any way to regulate it because it’s illegal so one pill could have enough fentanyl in it to kill a dozen people,” said Byron Pangburn, the victim’s father. “And that’s one pill. So it varies because there’s no quality control on something that’s made illegally or by cartels.”

Pangburn’s sister, Cecilia Ochoa, said she knows firsthand how painful the consequences of drug use can be.

“A lesson I learned from this is just how precious life truly is,” she said. “Because we all only have one life, when a moment is gone, you can’t get it back. It’s gone forever.”

Ashley Nusser, Pangborn’s partner and mother of his daughter, is devastated and trying to help the young child understand her father’s death.

“She knows her dad was taken by a very bad man,” Nusser said. “She knows he’s buried in the ground, but we have said that he will always be in your heart.”

On June 28, 2024, Cruz entered a plea deal and was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release for the distribution of fentanyl. Cruz also admitted that his products resulted in the death of Pangburn, officials said.

Pangburn, who is an Ontario resident, is survived by his daughter, siblings, parents and friends.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Loved ones searching for missing Los Angeles County woman

Published

6 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Loved ones searching for missing Los Angeles County woman

Homicide detectives and loved ones are searching for a missing Los Angeles County woman.

Maria Benitez, 41, was reported missing on Dec. 21, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The woman, who is considered at-risk, was last seen on the 5500 block of Lindsey Avenue in Pico Rivera around 12:30 p.m.

Maria Benitez, 41, was reported missing on Dec. 21, 2024. (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)
Maria Benitez’s gray 2008 Nissan Altima sedan with California license plate number 6EPB787. (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)

Family members said Benitez suffers from medical conditions and requires medication. They haven’t heard from her since her disappearance concerned for her well-being and asking for the public’s help.

She is described as a Hispanic woman standing 5 feet tall and weighing around 100 pounds. She has brown hair, brown eyes and a scar on her right ankle. She was last seen wearing a black shirt and black pants.

Her vehicle is described as a gray 2008 Nissan Altima with California license plate 6EPB787.

Anyone who knows Benitez’s whereabouts or has information on her disappearance is urged to call the LASD’s Homicide Bureau Missing Persons unit at 323-890-5500.

Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.

Los Angeles, Ca

Outage leaves 40K Southern California Edison customers in dark on Christmas Eve

Published

13 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Outage leaves 40K Southern California Edison customers in dark on Christmas Eve

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Some 40,000 Southern California Edison customers were without power on Christmas Eve after a transformer failed in the Downey-Norwalk area earlier in the afternoon.

According to SCE’s outage map, the problems began around 1:30 p.m., with Kathleen Dunleavy, a spokesperson for Southern California Edison, telling KTLA that the utility company did not have a timeframe for when power would be restored.

“Our crews are on scene working to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible. We recognize that this is a tough time to be without power, right before a holiday,” Dunleavy said. “We recognize that this is an incredibly important situation, and we want to get the power back up for our customers.”

A view from Sky5 of a power outage in the Downey-Norwalk area affecting some 40,000 customers on Dec. 24, 2024. (KTLA)

Metro’s C (Green) Line trains were temporarily halted between the Norwalk and Willowbrook/Rose Park stops as a result of the outage, though normal C Line train service resumed right around 5 p.m., Metro officials said in a post to X, formerly Twitter.

Officials in the City of Downey deployed police to help manage traffic control at intersections where traffic lights were out.

“We encourage residents to exercise caution when driving through affected areas,” officials said in a statement.

There were also reports of last-minute Christmas shoppers perusing the darkened aisles of local retailers also affected by the outage.

Los Angeles, Ca

Police seeking help identifying suspect in deadly Santa Monica hit-and-run

Published

23 hours ago

December 24, 2024

Press Room

Police seeking help identifying suspect in deadly Santa Monica hit-and-run

The Santa Monica Police Department is seeking help in identifying a driver that allegedly hit and killed a person on Sunday.

The fatal crash took place at about 6:40 p.m. on Sunday on the intersection of Chelsea Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. According to authorities, the victim, who is yet to be identified publicly, was crossing Wilshire southbound when they were struck by a white Toyota Rav4 heading eastbound on Wilshire.

The Toyota’s driver then fled the scene at a high rate of speed.

The pedestrian, a Vietnam War veteran and Santa Monica resident, was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Tuesday, police released graphic video footage of the collision. In that video, the Toyota can be seen speeding off after the crash sent the elderly victim flying.

The Toyota Rav4 that was allegedly used in a fatal Santa Monica hit-and-run crash. (SMPD)

Additional photos released showed a clear image of the suspect’s Toyota and security footage of the alleged driver.

The photo showed what appeared to be a bearded man wearing glasses, a black hoodie and gray sweatpants.

No additional details were immediately made available. Anyone who may have information related to this incident is encouraged to contact Investigator Raleigh at Evan.Raleigh@santamonica.gov, Investigator Lewis at Lantz.Lewis@santamonica.gov or the Watch Commander 24 hours a day at 310-458-8427.