Death of woman, 70, ruled homicide by narcotics

After a 70-year-old Baltimore woman died in July from what police say was narcotic poisoning, relatives are still awaiting answers on whether she was drugged. When authorities found Gloria Johnson unresponsive with no signs of trauma in her home on East Preston Street in the Eastern District on July 13, detectives initially called Johnson’s death suspicious. Homicide detectives conducted an investigation. On July 30, the state medical examiner’s office ruled Johnson’s death a homicide caused by narcotic poisoning, police said Friday. Detective Niki Fennoy, a Baltimore police spokeswoman, said Johnson died from a “combination of heroin and fentanyl,” and it wasn’t an intentional poisoning. Wendi Boswell said she believes her mother — who she said was not an active drug user — was drugged and robbed. Boswell said her mother’s friend witnessed a man run out of her apartment moments before she became medically distressed. Fennoy declined to comment, citing an open investigation. Bruce Goldfarb, spokesman for the medical examiner’s office, said he could not discuss why Johnson’s death was ruled a homicide. Deputy Christopher Jay Allen, assigned to the Police Operations Bureau at the Southern Precinct in Edgewood, on July 31. Allen was served a criminal summons, without incident, Thursday. Allen had been suspended with pay since May 9 after a suspension hearing. After he was indicted, the sheriff’s office reported, his status was changed, according to the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, and he is suspended without pay. “The outcome of the criminal prosecution and/or the internal investigation could result in Allen’s termination from employment with the Agency,” a sheriff’s office news release said.