AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Leander man was recently charged with murder in connection with a northwest Austin fentanyl-related death that occurred in August 2024.
The Austin Police Department’s Narcotics Support Unit was assigned the investigation, which ultimately led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for 40-year-old Stephen Tamayo.
APD said Tamayo was currently in custody in Williamson County on an unrelated charge. He is now being held on bonds of more than $1 million, according to jail records.
According to police, Tamayo’s murder charge was related to the death of 46-year-old Ryan Luper, who was found unresponsive Aug. 7, 2024, at a building in the 4300 block of Acropolis Court. The case is being investigated as Austin’s 72nd homicide of 2024.
“The Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Luper’s cause of death was from the ‘toxic effects of fentanyl and methamphetamine,’” APD said.
According to the department, this was the fourth murder charge filed by its Narcotics Support Unit since the state legislature added a rule in 2023 allowing for a supplier of fentanyl to be charged with murder if the drug results in the death of an individual.