Another Local Man Facing Drug-Induced Homicide Charge

A Kendall County grand jury has indicted a man on drug-induced homicide charges, stemming from an Oswego-area overdose.

Jose O. Mares, 27, of 111 Dolores St. in unincorporated Oswego Township, was indicted May 6 with the Class X felony after the heroin overdose of a 39-year-old Aurora man on Oct. 21, 2009, according to a Kendall County Sheriff’s Office news release.

The nearly 18-month investigation began at about 10:30 p.m. that night after Sheriff’s Office deputies along with Oswego paramedics were called to Mares' home for a man who was not breathing. The man was taken to Rush-Copley Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, the release said.

An autopsy was conducted by the Kane County Coroner’s Office and revealed the man died from “anoxic encephalopathy, due to, opiate and ethanol intoxication.”

A Sheriff’s Office investigation found the man had purchased and injected heroin just before his death. Detectives learned through Mares had supplied the heroin, the release said.

Mares was also indicted on a charge of unlawful delivery of controlled substance while within 1,000 feet of a public park (Carriage Park)—a class 1 felony. He is being held on $500,000 bail in the Kendall County Jail.

Former Oswego resident Jason Kidd, 36, was with drug-induced homicide.

Oswego police responded to a death investigation at about 6:30 a.m. March 7, 2010, at the home Kidd then shared with Merrideth Castro, 36, in the 100 block of Canterbury Court. Castro was found unresponsive and pronounced dead on the scene.

An investigation revealed that prior to her death, Castro had taken cocaine purchased by Kidd, the release said. Kidd delivered the cocaine to Castro and ingested the drug with her, Kendall County State's Attorney Eric Weis said. She was voluntarily taking cocaine, Weis said.

An autopsy and toxicology test revealed that she died from an overdose of cocaine and opiate.

Kidd is also still being held at the Kendall County Jail.