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Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Fentanyl Overdose Results in Homicide Arrest
| Nature of Incident: | Fentanyl Overdose Results in Homicide Arrest | ||||
| Report Number: | 23- 100088 | ||||
| Location: | 17000 block of Daphne Avenue, Torrance |
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| Date & Time: | January 22, 2026 1500 hours |
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| Unit(s) Responsible: | Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Units (VC FOCUS), Ventura County Sheriff’s Special Crimes Unit, Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Ventura County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau and the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office |
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
| (S) Thomas Syslo (V) Male Adult |
Torrance Thousand Oaks |
33 30 |
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| Narrative: | |||||
| On January 22, 2026, the Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Units (VC FOCUS) and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Special Crimes Unit concluded a fatal overdose investigation with the arrest of Thomas Syslo for Second Degree Murder as well as other narcotics and money laundering related charges. On August 4, 2023, deputies from the Sheriff’s Thousand Oaks patrol station responded to a report of a male subject suffering from a drug overdose at a hotel in the city of Thousand Oaks. Ventura County Fire Department personnel and EMS responders were on scene and pronounced the victim deceased. Detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Major Crimes and Narcotics Bureaus also responded and seized drug paraphernalia and other evidence at the scene. An examination by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death as a result of the combined toxic effects of fentanyl, gabapentin, and diphenhydramine. VC FOCUS detectives took over the investigation and identified Thomas Syslo as the suspect who sold fentanyl to the victim causing his death. VC FOCUS detectives authored numerous search warrants, which helped solidify Syslo as the suspect who sold fentanyl to the victim causing his death. The investigation also included collaboration with ride-share company Uber, which was key for this case. On September 8, 2023, VC FOCUS detectives served a search warrant at Syslo’s residence. Evidence of fentanyl sales, including (28) gross grams of fentanyl packaged for sale, a working digital scale, and over $12,000.00 in United States currency was located. In addition to the above items of evidence, (383) Pokemon cards, which were inside hard plastic protective cases with professional authentication and grading labels affixed to them were located at Syslo’s residence. These Pokemon cards were later valued at approximately $130,000.00 and deemed to be bought through the proceeds of illegal narcotic sales. After the service of the search warrant at his residence, Syslo was arrested for a violation of HS 11351/ Possession for Sale of a Controlled Substance and was booked at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility. An investigation was conducted by Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Investigators into Syslo’s financial records. After a thorough investigation, it was determined Syslo had been actively involved in money laundering for several years, using the gains he received from selling illegal narcotics. After several months of authoring search warrants, gathering data, and other investigative methods, VC FOCUS presented its fatal overdose case to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office for review. After careful consideration, prosecutors agreed to file a homicide charge against Syslo. Since its inception, VC FOCUS investigators have collaborated closely with prosecutors to hold drug dealers accountable for fatal fentanyl overdoses. This proactive approach often involves pursuing second-degree murder charges, based on the principle that distributing such a deadly substance exhibits a reckless disregard for human life. On January 22, 2026, VC FOCUS detectives arrested Syslo near his residence in the city of Torrance. Syslo was arrested for the following charges: PC 187(a)/ Second Degree Murder, HS 11351(a)/ Possession for Sale of a Controlled Substance, and PC 186.10(a)/ Money Laundering. He was booked into custody at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility where he remains on $1,000,000 bail. His arraignment is set for January 26, 2026, in Ventura County Superior Court. VC FOCUS is a task force made up of Ventura County regional law enforcement agencies including the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Simi Valley Police Department, Oxnard Police Department, Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, California Highway Patrol, as well as federal law enforcement partners. The primary mission of this partnership is to combat fentanyl related crimes and opioid overdoses by targeting the supply chain of individuals and criminal organizations responsible for the sales of these drugs into Ventura County. In addition, the task force works to identify new trends of abuse among the younger population and educate the community at large on the lethal danger of this epidemic. VC FOCUS has partnered with Ventura County Behavioral Health as an active member of the County Overdose Awareness & Solutions Team (COAST) in a campaign to reduce overdoses and educate the public about the dangers of opioids and other drugs. Comprehensive information can be found at www.ThinkAgainVC.com and www.dea.gov/onepill . The public may contact investigators from the VC FOCUS at (805) 383-8700 or [email protected] with additional information about this case, or any other information related to narcotics. |
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| Prepared by: | Sergeant Jaime Gomez Jr. | ||||
| News Release Date: | January 26, 2026 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Jeff Miller- VCSO Special Crimes Unit 805-383-8700 Detective Anna Wypchlak- VC FOCUS 805-383-8700 |
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| Approved by: | Captain Matthew Young | ||||
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511
