California couple charged with murder in death of toddler skip court

A Bay Area couple charged in the murder of a 2-year-old girl who reportedly overdosed on fentanyl earlier this year failed to appear in court last week to face the charges.

The tragic incident occurred just after 5 a.m. on Feb. 12, according to the San Francisco County District Attorney’s Office.

Officers with the San Francisco Police Department responded to an apartment in the 3800 block of 18th Street, near Mission Dolores Park, after receiving a 911 call reporting that a child was not breathing.

“Medics arrived at the location and pronounced the two-year-old child deceased,” the DA’s office said in a news release. “Medics observed signs of rigor mortis and lividity, indicating the child had been dead for several hours.”

Responding officers noted that Michelle Price, 38, the girl’s mother, was slurring her speech and had “an emotionless demeanor,” according to court documents. Investigators also observed drug paraphernalia in the apartment, including three pipes, lighters and torches, a used Narcan container, white powder ultimately identified as fentanyl, bottles of spoiled milk and stained sheets on the bed.

Price was arrested for child endangerment.

Her boyfriend, Steve Ramirez, 43, allegedly attempted to flee the apartment on a bicycle, leading police on a chase during which an officer was injured. At the time of his arrest, Ramirez was reportedly in possession of a pipe inside a bag on his bike. Two additional pipes with burnt residue were also found nearby, investigators said.

Blood samples taken from Price and Ramirez at the time of their arrests showed high levels of methamphetamine and fentanyl in their systems, according to the DA’s office.

An autopsy performed by the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office revealed no obvious signs of physical injury to the toddler. However, toxicology testing showed lethal levels of fentanyl, as well as naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, in the child’s bloodstream.

“The cause of death was determined to be acute fentanyl poisoning,” the release stated.

Price was initially charged with felony child endangerment, possession of fentanyl and possession of drug paraphernalia. Ramirez faced the same charges, along with an additional count of resisting, obstructing and delaying a peace officer.

Over the objections of prosecutors, both Price and Ramirez were allowed to remain out of custody ahead of their arraignments.

On April 15, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced an amended complaint charging the couple with second-degree murder, marking the first time such charges have been brought in a fatal fentanyl overdose case in the county.

“There wasn’t really anywhere safe for this child to be inside of this home,” Jenkins said during a press conference announcing the charges. “This is a moment in time where people have to realize that we take these situations very seriously and where, I believe, parents who knowingly possess fentanyl, who understand its lethality and the danger it poses, allow their children to be exposed to it, this is something that can come with respect to accountability if a child dies.”

At the April 16 arraignment, where both defendants failed to appear, Price’s attorney told the court she may have experienced transportation issues. An attorney representing Ramirez said he did not know his client’s whereabouts, according to KTLA’s Bay Area sister station KRON.

While both attorneys said the couple was mourning the loss of the child and struggling with addiction, Ramirez’s lawyer accused the district attorney’s office of turning the case into a media circus, claiming the publicity caused his client to panic.

The judge subsequently issued bench warrants for both Price and Ramirez. It remains unclear whether either has since been taken into custody.