South Brunswick man charged in heroin death of teenager

SOUTH BRUNSWICK — A four-month investigation into the death of 19- year-old Talia Salzano has resulted in a suspect being charged.

Daniel Guzman, 24, of South Brunswick, is charged with obstructing justice and tampering with evidence. Both are fourth degree indictable crimes, according to a statement prepared by the South Brunswick Police Department.

The investigation began on Aug. 15 when police were called to Guzman’s Pear Street residence on a report of an unresponsive female.

Officers arrived and found Salzano deceased in a bedroom of the home. The investigation found that Guzman was allegedly unable to wake Salzano and altered the scene to clean up the evidence of drug usage prior to calling police, according to the statement.

Guzman reportedly provided false statements to police in the hours and days following Salzano’s death in order to impede the investigation, officials said. In addition, Guzman allegedly notified other people of the impending investigation in an attempt to thwart the investigation, police said.

The Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the cause of death as accidental as a result of an overdose of heroin.

“There are laws designed to protect those who call for assistance when someone is in distress. Our officers are equipped with medication to reverse the dangers of heroin. We have used the medication more then a dozen times to reverse the impact of heroin with success. In this case not only did the person not get help for his friend, he altered the scene and provided false information,” said Police Chief Raymond Hayducka.

Guzman surrendered and posted $5,000 bail. He faces up to three years in jail if convicted of each charge.