Deputies arrest man after linking him to 19-year-old's overdose: HCSO

A man was arrested on Monday after officials linked him to a 19-year-old's fatal overdose in Valrico.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said on Feb. 8, deputies found Eric Schertzer dead inside a home on Susan Place.

An investigation into Schertzer's death was launched, which lasted four months until detectives identified Baylee Jacobs, 21, as a suspect. According to HCSO, they were able to link the drugs the victim ingested back to Jacobs.

It was then revealed that Jacobs had moved from Florida to Illinois during the investigation. But on June 24, authorities at the Sterling Police Department in Illinois apprehended Jacobs.

HCSO said Jacobs is facing a first-degree murder resulting from the sale of a controlled substance charge.

This is the second story we've reported about drug-related deaths in Hillsborough County in the last two weeks. On June 20, four men were charged with distributing a lethal dose of fentanyl to a USF student.

According to deputies, the suspects continued to distribute fentanyl to undercover deputies and detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

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