FOR DEAD INMATE'S FAMILY, CLOSURE AFTER 2 YEARS FROM OVERDOSE DEATH

By Juan Montoya

Various Sources

It took almost two years, but the family of a 21-year-old who died of a fentanyl over dose while she was an inmate at the Cameron County Rucker-Carrizalez Detention Center in October 2023 finally got closure.

A jury found 45-year-old Brandy Ann Brown Daniels guilty of introducing the drug into the jail and providing it to Jacqueline Barocio, a single mother held on drug charges.

Brown was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to providing fentanyl to the female inmate causing her death.

According to an indictment Brown delivered fentanyl to Barocio on October 21, 2023. As previously reported, Barocio was found dead in her cell the same day she received the narcotics.

Daniels will receive 705 days of jail credit, according to court records.

After toxicology results showed that the female inmate who was found dead in her Cameron County jail cell in October died of an overdose of fentanyl, an investigation conducted by the Texas Rangers is said to have revealed that she had acquired what she believed methamphetamine from Brown.

Instead, the substance turned out to be a mixture of meth laced with deadly fentanyl, according to sources in the department. The admission she had died from the illegal drug was made in a press release by then-Cameron County Sheriff Eric Garza's office at the time. The release issued by the Sheriff’s Office confirmed that she “had fentanyl in her system at the time of death.”

Barocio was in custody at the Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center on charges of aggravated assault and possession of drugs when she was found dead on Oct. 21. A court had assented to have her attend  substance treatment and she was waiting for an opening in the program facility.

The subsequent Texas Ranger investigation found that the deadly mixture was missed during a search on the day of her incarceration. She was charged with murder on March 12, according to booking documents.

"Apparently, jailers discovered some drugs under her bra when she was jailed , but did not conduct a vaginal search and that's what authorities suspect killed the other inmate," said a source with the sheriff's department. 

In December, Cameron County Assistant District Attorney Edward Sandoval said a new state law provides for a murder charge.

“A new law went into effect that was passed in the last legislative session that made it murder to intentionally give someone fentanyl — and it results in their death. If there's a crime that's occurred, we're going to make sure that we seek justice for the people that are hurt and the laws that are broken."

Brown, who was originally charged with manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a firearm after her arrest October 10, was charged with illegally introducing a prohibited substance/item into a correctional facility on October 30 after the substance was analyzed.

According to Barocio's family, she had been held at the jail and had complained of a painful toothache for about two months before her death was reported by a jailer when she was found unresponsive in her cell. A jail mate said she complained of a painful toothache the night before she died and said was given medication by a jail nurse.

“We thought she would be safe there, but… she's dead now,” Jacqueline’s mother – Veronica Aguilera  – said at the time her death was reported..

Jacqueline’s sister and Aguilera said they got a call from the sheriff’s office informing them of her death. When they asked what happened, they said they were told “she had passed away this morning, and he had no information to give us."

Esmeralda Barocio says she spoke with Jacqueline the night before, and she had been in pain from her wisdom tooth. Aguilera said Jacqueline had been dealing with this problem for two months, but the guards wouldn’t get her medical attention.

A nurse at the infirmary reportedly gave her antibiotics on the night before she was found unresponsive in her cell.

A news release from the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office said toxicology reports revealed Barocio “had fentanyl in her system at the time of death.”

Barocio’s family previously told Channel 5 News she was in jail on charges of aggravated assault and possession of drugs. Brown was said to have been romantically involved with a suspected  drug dealer in Harlingen responsible for the recent overdoses outbreak there, according to law enforcement sources.

Another woman involved in passing the drug from Brown to Barocio's cell denied that she had any knowledge that the substance contained fentanyl. It's unknown whether any charges will be filed against that inmate. She was not identified at the time.

Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz, as October 2022 – after a spate of fentanyl-related deaths because of overdoses in the county – addressed the issue in a press conference.

"Having fentanyl is a first-degree felony. If you are delivering fentanyl-laced drugs and those drugs lead to the death of a user, then that person can be charged with first-degree murder," he said then.

Barocio left behind two children who were one and six at the time of her death