Two Columbia men charged with murder in fentanyl overdose

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two Columbia men were charged with felony murder Thursday in a 2023 fentanyl overdose.

Chase A. Rieves and Derek Miltimore were each charged with second-degree murder and drug dealing in the May 5, 2023, death of the victim whose name is redacted in court documents. Miltimore was in the Boone County Jail on Thursday on a $40,000 cash bond, according to jail records.

Police found the victim dead in the upstairs of a residence with a blue powder that tested positive for fentanyl and drug paraphernalia nearby, according to the probable cause statement. The Columbia address is redacted in the statement.

An autopsy determined the person died of a fentanyl overdose. The Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab confirmed the drugs found near the body were fentanyl.

Police found messages about a drug deal involving Percocet painkillers on the victim's cellphone and traced them back to Miltimore and Rieves, according to the heavily redacted statement. Detectives searched a business on July 10, 2023, in connection with the investigation. The name of the business is redacted.

It was not clear late Thursday morning whether Rieves was in custody.