The investigation continued Monday into the suspected fentanyl overdose deaths of three people at a downtown Los Angeles loft, including 44-year-old Jose “Luis” Vasquez, a California musician who found fame with the post-punk project the Soft Moon.
Also found dead last Thursday were John “Juan” Mendez, 46, a popular Los Angeles DJ who performed as Silent Servant, and Simone Ling, 43, identified in media reports as Mendez’s partner, according to the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.
The cause of their deaths has been listed as “deferred” by the medical examiner’s office.
The three were found at Mendez’s and Ling’s residence at the Pacific Electric Lofts on Main Street after a welfare check sought by Vasquez’s wife, according to The Times, which cited law enforcement sources not authorized to discuss the investigation.
“It’s so sad for their families,” Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Raul Jovel of the Central Division told The Times. “This is a societal issue.”
Jovel said that on some days the division investigates five overdose deaths, and last year officers seized 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine and 30 pounds of fentanyl.
LAPD Central Bureau homicide is investigating, according to Jovel. It may take three to six months before the final causes of death are determined.
Vasquez performed globally and at last year’s Cruel World alternative music festival in Pasadena. His death was lamented in a post on Soft Moon’s Facebook page, which called it a “huge loss” and said “our hearts are broken.”