Two men were found dead in a second-floor room on the 600 block of North George Street in York on July 2. Jonathan Gonzalez, 31, and his girlfriend, Nicole Sanchez, 26, have been charged in connection with the deaths of Anthony Sanchez, 55, and Leocadio Jacinto, a 26-year-old Mexican native. Police allege the couple was involved in supplying drugs linked to the deaths, and that dealing continued while Gonzalez was in county prison.
As WHP Harrisburg reported, Northern York County Regional Police were dispatched to the residence after a report of two dead men. Officers found them on the second floor, along with a white powdery substance and cases of alcohol, and seized two phones as part of the investigation.
The station reported that Anthony Sanchez's death was attributed to toxicity from the combined effects of ethanol and drugs; cocaine, dextromethorphan and fentanyl were found in his system. Jacinto's cause of death was listed as mixed drug toxicity, with cocaine and fentanyl detected in his system.
A Daughter's Account Helped Identify 'Johnny'
Police say Anthony Sanchez's daughter told investigators she had gone with her father to pick up drugs from a man known as Johnny, whom investigators later identified as Jonathan Gonzalez. Investigators say Sanchez and Gonzalez had phone conversations about drug deals dating to May, with text messages extending to the day before Sanchez was found.
Records cited by the station show a call from Gonzalez to Anthony Sanchez on July 2, when the men were found dead. Gonzalez had been held in York County Prison since around June 30 after a traffic stop. Police questioned how he could have placed the call so soon after being incarcerated, and investigated who was using his phone.
Police Allege Gonzalez's Girlfriend Handled the Phone
Police say Nicole Sanchez answered when investigators called Gonzalez's number. She told them Gonzalez had given her the phone before his arrest and that she had been responding to calls and texts from his friends, but denied knowing Anthony Sanchez.
Police allege Gonzalez called Nicole Sanchez from prison and told her to turn off the phone, deny everything and say she did not know him. He also allegedly instructed her to delete Facebook and Messenger content and put the phone in water. Police say Nicole Sanchez admitted to working for Gonzalez while he was incarcerated and had plans to meet someone on June 30.
A witness later told police they bought heroin from Gonzalez through Anthony Sanchez's contact number in August. The witness also said they bought drugs from Nicole Sanchez while Gonzalez was incarcerated and that she delivered them to the witness's home. According to the station's report, the witness said Sanchez told them she had broken Gonzalez's phone with a hammer and then used Facebook messaging to continue arranging deals.
Charges in the Case
Gonzalez faces charges of conspiracy to deliver drugs resulting in death, conspiracy to manufacture, deliver or possess drugs with intent to manufacture or deliver, conspiracy to deal in proceeds of unlawful activities, and criminal use of a communication facility. Nicole Sanchez faces two counts of drug delivery resulting in death, conspiracy to deliver drugs resulting in death, two counts of manufacturing, delivering or possessing drugs with intent to manufacture or deliver, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, conspiracy to deal in proceeds of unlawful activities, and criminal use of a communications facility.
Under Pennsylvania law, Drug Delivery Resulting in Death is a felony of the first degree carrying a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The statute has become one of the state's go-to tools for prosecuting fatal overdoses: prosecutors across Pennsylvania filed Drug Delivery Resulting in Death charges more than 680 times between 2021 and 2025, making the state one of the nation's most active in pursuing drug-induced homicide cases, according to Spotlight PA.
That same reporting notes the Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard arguments last month on whether people who jointly purchase or use drugs together should be shielded from these charges, weighing whether joint acquisition should count as an affirmative defense or require specific jury instructions. Separately, state lawmakers have introduced House Bill 326, known as Isaiah's Law, for the 2025–2026 session, which would create an affirmative defense if a person received no service or anything of value in exchange for a delivery, according to BillTrack50.
Local Numbers Behind the Headlines
Nationally, drug overdose deaths fell 24%, from 105,007 in 2023 to 79,384 in 2024, driven largely by declines in synthetic opioid deaths, according to KFF.
Mixed-drug deaths like those of Anthony Sanchez and Leocadio Jacinto reflect a pattern seen elsewhere in the state. Public health data from Philadelphia in 2024 found that half of all fatal overdoses there involved a combination of an opioid and a stimulant such as cocaine, according to the City of Philadelphia.
Other Cases and Local Resources
In a separate York County case, Jerrod Scott challenged proof that he delivered the drugs that killed Zack Savage and the denial of a requested jury instruction on joint acquisition and possession—a different defendant and one named decedent, not the alleged two-victim operation in this case. Separately, the City of York Bureau of Health says it partners with York/Adams Drug and Alcohol Commission and York Opioid Collaborative to provide free Narcan; that local resource does not establish what happened in this case.
The Northern York County Regional Police Department was established in 1972 as the first regional police department in Pennsylvania.
