This article was updated Feb. 28 at 9:55 a.m. with additional information from Police Chief Robert Noble .
The death of a Yorktown Heights woman last year has led to federal drug trafficking charges against a Bronx man, according to the DOJ.
The victim was found unconscious by family members April 13, 2025, at her home and was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Authorities said several yellow glassine envelopes containing fentanyl were recovered from the residence. Video surveillance showed the same type of glassines had been sold to her the day before, prosecutors said.
Teddy Caceres, 43, has been charged in connection with her death. Caceres also faces additional drug and weapons charges.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton and FBI Assistant Director in Charge of the New York field office James C. Barnacle Jr. announced Tuesday that an indictment had been unsealed against Caceres.
“As alleged, Teddy Caceres sold fentanyl that tragically claimed a life. That did not deter him from dealing in death,” Clayton said. “Nine months later, when law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence, Caceres was once again allegedly in possession of fentanyl, as well as a loaded firearm.”
Caceres is charged with distribution of narcotics resulting in death, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, which carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life; firearms use and possession, which carries a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life; and possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, which carries a maximum of 15 years.
He also faces additional drug and firearms charges tied to a search of his Bronx home last month, where authorities said they recovered a black .45-caliber Glock 21 with a magazine loaded with 18 rounds, 17 9mm cartridges and two large blocks of fentanyl.
“New Yorkers want streets free from those who distribute deadly fentanyl, and together with the NYPD, the FBI, the DEA and our other law enforcement partners, the women and men of the SDNY will hold them accountable,” Clayton said.
He praised the investigative work of the FBI, the NYPD and the Yorktown Police Department.
“The FBI and our law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to decimate the drug trafficking industry and save American lives. Teddy Caceres is an example of the problem,” Barnacle, Jr. said. “He allegedly continued to traffic fentanyl even after he contributed to the fatal overdose of an unsuspecting victim. The FBI remains determined to investigate and charge those who threaten our community’s safety with narcotics and firearms.”
Police Chief Robert Noble recognized Detective James Hannigan for his crucial role in the arrest, noting that while all agencies showed outstanding teamwork, it was Hannigan’s "intelligent, detailed, and relentless investigative skills" that made it possible.
Hannigan is a deputized member of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Police Chief Robert Noble said in that role he has strengthened the department’s relationships with federal law enforcement agencies, including the NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force.
"Having communicated with the family of our victim, they shared that Detective Hannigan treated them with empathy and kindness throughout the investigation, and were grateful that an arrest was made," Noble told Yorktown News. "Exemplary police work by all members of the Yorktown Police Department involved in this arrest, led by Detective Hannigan.”
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