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Woman arrested after allegedly supplying fentanyl that killed man in Salida

Police arrested a woman on Wednesday after she allegedly provided and administered fentanyl to a man who later died in a Salida motel on Jan. 26, according to a news release by police.

The pair from Monte Vista was in their room at the motel when Vanessa Salvio, 39, allegedly blew fentanyl from her mouth into 42-year-old Lukas Brown’s mouth, causing a overdose.

Salvio allegedly told police in an interview that Brown began to have a “medical episode” after she gave him the fentanyl and alerted staff at the motel, who called 911.

An autopsy by the El Paso County Coroner’s Office determined Brown died shortly after the call because of fentanyl and xylazine toxicity, according to the release.

After the interview, Salvio was allowed to return to the room to retrieve her belongings and, in doing so, allegedly took some of Brown’s property. Salvio allegedly returned his belongings to police after Brown’s family discovered they were missing, and police questioned her about it.

Salvio was arrested hours after a Chaffee County judge signed an arrest warrant from Salida police on Wednesday. She is charged with criminally negligent homicide and theft.

Salvio’s cash or surety bond was set at $2,000. She will appear in a Chaffee County courtroom on June 10.


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