Autopsy points to overdose in death of boy found in Petaluma home

Petaluma police said Friday that the death of a boy inside a home earlier this week appears to have been caused by a drug overdose.

Officers had responded at 7:08 a.m. Tuesday to a home in the 300 block of Wilson Street for an unresponsive person. Paramedics determined the boy was dead, and his name is not being released.

Investigators found narcotics paraphernalia near the boy, and an autopsy conducted Wednesday led to the conclusion that the death was overdose-related, police said.

Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call Detective Zeus Rivera at (707) 778-4444.

Petaluma police say they have recorded at least 19 overdose deaths in the city since the start of 2021, although that number is likely higher since some overdose patients get taken to a hospital without police knowledge.

The department asks anyone who sees the first signs of a potential overdose or medical emergency to call 911, since Petaluma police are equipped with Narcan, a medication that can reverse the symptoms of an opioid overdose.