DISTRICT ATTORNEY COMPLETES REVIEW OF INVESTIGATION CONCERNING DEATH OF DETECTIVE MATTHEW MORGAN
WINNEMUCCA, Nev. –
The Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office completed its review of the reports related to the June 25, 2020 death of Detective Matthew Morgan of the Winnemucca Police Department.
The reports were prepared by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office, NMS Labs (formerly known as National Medical Services), Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Science Division and Winnemucca Police Department. The reports confirm that the cause of death was an overdose of fentanyl and methamphetamine. There is no evidence that the death was the result of suicide or that anyone else was involved in the events immediately prior to Detective Morgan’s death.
An investigation was conducted into the circumstances surrounding the death of Detective Morgan. This investigation included a search of Detective Morgan’s cellular phone. This search of Detective Morgan’s phone provided evidence regarding his purchase and use of illegal narcotics, specifically cocaine and methamphetamine using slang descriptions or nicknames, over the past couple of years. In the morning hours of June 25, 2020, Detective Morgan attempted to purchase or acquire illegal narcotics, specifically cocaine, through text messages with another individual. Later the same day, Detective Morgan texted this same individual “I think I can get some as well.” At approximately 2:14 p.m., Detective Morgan was found in the evidence vault of the Winnemucca Police Department unresponsive and not breathing. Shortly thereafter, he was pronounced deceased.
An autopsy was conducted by the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office and toxicology was performed by NMS Labs concluding his death was by narcotics overdose.
A plastic bag containing a white powdery substance was located in Detective Morgan’s front pant pocket after his death. This plastic bag was transferred to the Nevada Department of Public Safety Investigations Division, and a presumptive test was conducted indicating the powdery substance was fentanyl. On July 14, 2020, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Science Division analyzed the plastic bag of white powder and determined it contained 7.98 grams total gross weight of fentanyl.
The Winnemucca Police Department keeps evidence consisting of controlled substances and paraphernalia in sealed, individual envelopes. The evidence envelopes have inward folds on the sides to allow for expansion for the envelope to contain larger items. The sealed evidence envelopes are stored and locked in multiple file cabinets within the evidence vault. Only Detective Morgan and two other individuals had access to the evidence vault and the locked file cabinets at the time of his death.
In the course of its investigation, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office examined 1,486 evidence envelopes containing controlled substances and/or paraphernalia for any signs of
tampering. In many cases, the original case files were also reviewed to determine what evidence was placed in the envelope, when the envelope was opened and why the envelope was opened. As a result of this investigation, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office found that evidence in four cases of the Winnemucca Police Department had been tampered with.
The first tampering case involves the plastic bag containing fentanyl which was found in Detective Morgan’s pants pocket after his death. The fentanyl was removed from the evidence envelope for a case which occurred in 2015 and resulted in a felony conviction in May of 2016. When this plastic bag containing a white powdery substance was originally booked into evidence in 2015, the substance was suspected to be cocaine. The evidence envelope indicated that it contains 8.1 grams gross weight of cocaine. On March 11, 2016, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Science Division analyzed the contents of the plastic bag and it was found to be 7.132 (+/- 0.048) grams net weight of fentanyl, not cocaine as indicated on the envelope. The plastic bag found in the evidence envelope weighed 1.890 grams gross weight, which is significantly less than the weight identified by the crime lab in 2016. The evidence envelope in this case was torn or cut in the fold on one side, thereby providing access to the plastic bag containing the controlled substance. In addition, the evidence tape on the plastic bag found in the evidence envelope was from the Winnemucca Police Department and not the crime lab which sealed the evidence after its testing. A pair of scissors and a strip of evidence tape from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office which appeared to be cut off of a plastic bag was found on a table in the evidence vault near Detective Morgan on June 25, 2020. This strip of evidence tape contained the initials of the lab technician and date which match the testing of the fentanyl in the original case by the crime lab in 2016.
The second tampering case involves two plastic bags containing a white powdery substance that presumptively tested positive for cocaine and were items of evidence from a closed case which occurred in 2015. The sealed evidence envelope for one of the plastic bags containing approximately 2 grams gross weight of cocaine had not been tampered with and is still properly sealed. Detective Morgan recently replaced the original evidence envelope for the other plastic bag of cocaine containing approximately 4 grams gross weight. The original evidence envelope was found torn into multiple pieces in the evidence vault after Detective Morgan’s death. No reason was identified as to the need to open the original sealed envelope or to repackage the evidence in a new envelope. The case file contains photographs and documentation showing that the contents of the plastic bag in the repackaged evidence envelope tested presumptively positive for cocaine when originally booked by the originating officer in 2015. The weight of the plastic bag containing a white powdery substance in the repackaged envelope appeared to be the same as what was documented in the case file at 4 grams gross weight. However, when a presumptive test was conducted as part of the current investigation, the white powdery substance did not test positive for any controlled substance. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Science Division confirmed that the contents of the plastic bag was not cocaine or any other controlled substance, but was gypsum and calcium carbonate. Therefore, it
appears the cocaine contained in the original evidence envelope was replaced with the gypsum and calcium carbonate and repackaged in a new evidence envelope.
The third tampering case involves a plastic bag containing a small amount of methamphetamine from a case which occurred in 2014. The methamphetamine was tested and weighed by the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Science Division. The case resulted in a misdemeanor conviction and was closed in November of 2015. The evidence in this case was repackaged in a new evidence envelope at some point after the testing was completed by the crime lab. The evidence envelope was sealed only by Winnemucca Police Department evidence tape and did not have signature or initials of the originating officer. The envelope did have documentation showing that Detective Morgan had received this envelope. The evidence envelope was not sealed with Washoe County Sheriff’s Office evidence tape which it should have after the testing of the plastic bag containing methamphetamine by the crime lab. The evidence envelope contains a small plastic bag containing methamphetamine. The plastic bag was sealed with Washoe County Sheriff’s Office evidence tape and had a bar code sticker affixed to it by the crime lab. The plastic bag has two short cuts on it which provide access to the methamphetamine. These cuts were not documented in the original police report or the crime lab report. Finally, there was a small decrease in the weight of the methamphetamine since examination by the crime lab, indicating the removal of a small amount of the methamphetamine.
The fourth tampering case involves a cigarette box concealing a small plastic zip lock bag containing methamphetamine from a case which occurred in 2011. The defendant in this case completed a drug court diversion program in 2013, resulting in the dismissal of the case. The evidence envelope in this case was sealed, however there was a large cut in the side fold of the envelope which allowed access to the cigarette box and the methamphetamine contained therein. The cut in the side fold of this envelope is similar to the tear or cut on the evidence envelope described in the first case above. It is unclear how much, if any, methamphetamine was removed from the plastic bag in this case. On the day of Detective Morgan’s death, he was working on a case file list to pull evidence on old, closed cases for destruction. This case was included on that list for destruction.
Based upon the timing of when these cases were closed, no individuals involved in or connected to these four cases were prejudiced or harmed by the recent tampering or removal of evidence.
In addition to the investigation by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the Winnemucca Police Department conducted an internal audit of the Winnemucca Police Department evidence vault. All evidence envelopes in the narcotics section of the evidence vault that have been logged into the computer system were located and accounted for by case and item numbers. Based upon the investigation and the internal audit, there were no findings that evidence in any pending investigation or case of the Winnemucca Police Department has been tampered with. The
Winnemucca Police Department, with the assistance of an outside consultant, implemented additional safeguards for evidence kept in its vault since this event occurred. Based on the findings of the investigation by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and the internal audit by the Winnemucca Police Department, the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office is extremely confident in the integrity of all evidence booked and maintained by the Winnemucca Police Department in all pending cases.
To summarize, Detective Morgan died in the Winnemucca Police Department evidence vault due to toxic levels of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Detective Morgan removed fentanyl from an evidence envelope kept in the evidence vault, he ingested fentanyl and he put a plastic bag containing fentanyl in his pant pocket. The toxic levels of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Detective Morgan's system at time of autopsy, as well as other evidence, indicate habitual or regular use of narcotics. The painstaking review of all the controlled substance evidence maintained by the Winnemucca Police Department revealed that only four out of 1,486 evidence envelopes had been tampered with and that none of these four cases affected any past or present prosecution. The investigation further revealed that Detective Morgan was responsible for the tampering and that he acted alone with no other officers or employees of the Winnemucca Police Department having knowledge of his actions. Had Detective Morgan survived, he would have faced multiple felony and misdemeanor charges.
