Roseburg Man Arrested After Suspected Fentanyl Overdose Death

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ore. (Dec 8, 2025) — A suspected fentanyl overdose that left a 34-year-old man dead in the Green District early Thursday has led to the arrest of a Roseburg resident, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were called in the early morning hours of Dec. 4 to a home in the 5000 block of Grange Road, where they found Zachary Slaymaker deceased inside his residence. Evidence at the scene suggested the death was likely the result of a drug overdose, and investigators said fentanyl was believed to be the primary cause.

Detectives with the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team, or DINT, began tracing Slaymaker’s movements and interactions during the 24 hours before his death. Through the investigation, detectives developed evidence indicating Slaymaker had purchased fentanyl shortly beforehand from George Perez, 39, of Roseburg.

As investigators focused on Perez, they learned he was still in the Roseburg area and allegedly continuing to sell small quantities of fentanyl. At about 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, detectives located Perez in the parking lot of a business in the 3300 block of NW Aviation Drive. He was taken into custody without incident.

Detectives said they found a small amount of suspected fentanyl on Perez and believe he intended to sell it at the time of his arrest.

Perez was booked into the Douglas County Jail on two counts of unlawful possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and two counts of unlawful delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities said additional arrests or charges are possible.

Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Just 2 milligrams — an amount comparable to 10 to 15 grains of table salt — is considered a potentially lethal dose.

DINT is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program and the Douglas County Board of Commissioners. The task force includes members from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Roseburg Police Department, Oregon State Police, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Land Management.