Autopsy Photos Sought By LAUSD In Suit Over Student's Overdose Death

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Los Angeles Unified School District attorneys are seeking to review the autopsy photos of a 15-year-old girl who overdosed in a school bathroom in 2022 as part of a lawsuit filed by the girl's mother.

The mother, Elena Perez, is suing LAUSD, arguing that school officials knew there was a drug problem at Bernstein High School, but did nothing about it leading up to the death of her daughter, Melanie Ramos. Her attorney, Michael Carrillo, has said the school was a "haven" for drug use.

On Thursday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa R. Jaskol is set to consider LAUSD's motion to review 70 photos from Ramos' autopsy. The district's attorneys argued that the photos "can be highly relevant to determining time of death."

The date Ramos died, she and another student skipped class and bought drugs, then sometime in the afternoon entered a school bathroom and took the drugs. The Medical Examiner's Office found that Ramos died of an accidental fentanyl overdose on Sept. 13, 2022.

School officials notified Ramos' family early that evening that the girl was missing, according to Perez' attorneys. At 8 p.m., a man went to Bernstein in search of his missing stepdaughter. He and a school employee found his stepdaughter and Ramos in the bathroom, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Perez's attorneys charge that LAUSD wants the photos in order to cause Perez "mental stress and agony." They argued that Ramos' family may invoke their privacy rights to prevent the distribution of her autopsy photos.

"Plaintiff's bald and unfounded allegations that the school district seeks to morbidly pry has no basis," the district lawyers maintain in their court while also stating that a protective order already is in place and that the images can be destroyed after the case is over.

Days after Ramos' death, police announced they had arrested a 15-year-old boy on charges he sold the drug to two students at Bernstein. A 16-year-old boy was also arrested on charges of selling drugs to another student at nearby Lexington Park. Both suspects were students at APEX Academy Charter School, located on the Bernstein campus, police said.

Ramos' death prompted the LAUSD to announce that all of its schools would be supplied with the anti-overdose medication Narcan. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newson signed into law Melanie's Law — named after Ramos — which requires public schools to train employees on opioid prevention and response.

City News Service contributed to this report.