The cause of death of the detective BSO, known from the series The First 48, has been revealed; colleague under investigation
PLANTATION, Florida. – Documents recently obtained by Local 10 News reveal the cause of death of a prominent homicide detective from Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Local News 10 also learned that a fellow detective is the subject of at least two investigations apparently linked to the sergeant’s death.
Sergeant Kevin Forsberg served in the BSO for a little over two decades and starred in the hit A&E crime series The First 48. A 53-year-old man was found unconscious in a plantation apartment on January 27.
Sheriff Gregory Tony announced Forsberg’s death on social media, but no information has yet been released on how he died.
An autopsy report signed by the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office on March 3 listed his cause of death as acute fentanyl intoxication.
His manner of death was ruled an accident. It is unknown how it got into his body.
Local 10 News staff who spoke to Sheriff Broward’s office said they were shocked and disappointed to learn the longtime investigator’s cause of death.
Autopsy report:
According to the medical examiner’s report, Forsberg, who spoke during the trial of the Parkland school shooter, was found on the apartment’s bathroom floor and pronounced dead at the scene by plantation fire and rescue paramedics.
Local 10 News has learned that a fellow homicide investigator has been suspended since February, apparently in connection with the case: Deputy Bozena Gaida-Morales, also known as “Jo-Jo.”
She is the focus of the BSO’s internal affairs investigation, and sources said she is also the focus of the Plantation Police Department’s murder investigation.
According to the forensic report, Gaida-Morales, who lives in the same apartment complex, located Forsberg after he did not return her calls.
Investigation Report:
According to a sheriff’s memo, in February, a month after Forsberg’s body was found, Gaida-Morales was suspended from work on “reasonable suspicion of drug possession.” Sources said she tested positive for a banned substance.
Then, in March, she was notified that she was under internal investigation for employee misconduct and violation of the department’s alcohol and drug policy.
Gaida-Morales worked in the sheriff’s office for nine years. According to the investigative report, on the day of Forsberg’s death, the two of them were working in a crime lab, searching a vehicle in which drugs were found.
“Deputy Morales is not allowed to comment on ongoing investigations,” Gary Celetti, Gaida-Morales’ attorney, said in a statement to Local 10 News. “Deputy Morales mourns the loss of Sergeant Forsberg and looks forward to returning to duty as soon as possible.”
Suspension Documents:
Sources told Local 10 News that Gaida-Morales may have called Forsberg’s son and BSO detectives before calling 911.
Forsberg is survived by three adult children.
In his biography on the A&E website, Forsberg said, “I take pride in doing my job (…), even if the tense subject tires me.”
“Forsberg says the worst part of the job is seeing the emotional pain that family members of the victim go through after losing a loved one,” the biography reads in part.
The BSO and plantation police have not commented on the ongoing investigation.
Toxicological report:
Copyright 2023 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
