Man accused of attempting to kidnap boy in Palm Springs dies of fentanyl overdose

A man accused of trying to kidnap an 8-year-old boy, whose father came to his son's rescue at a Palm Springs hotel, died due to a fentanyl overdose, authorities said today.

Joseph Ryan Harvey, 31, of Bermuda Dunes was pronounced dead at about 6:45 a.m. on May 24 somewhere in Bermuda Dunes, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department

Sgt. Deanna Pecoraro told City News Service that an autopsy also found that Harvey suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick.

No additional information about his death was released.

Harvey was arrested Jan. 26 on suspicion of attempting to abduct the youngster two days before at a hotel in the 400 block of East Tahquitz Canyon Drive. He subsequently pleaded not guilty to one felony count of kidnapping and two misdemeanor counts of possessing drug paraphernalia used to consume opioids.

According to court records, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Harold Hopp granted a defense motion on May 18 that triggered the defendant's release from county jail.

He was released on his own recognizance on May 20 after promising to wear an ankle monitor and appear for his scheduled court dates. He was being held on $1 million bail up until that point.

At the time of his January arrest, the defendant also was the subject of an active bench warrant stemming from an unresolved misdemeanor drug case.

According to the Palm Springs Police Department, Harvey was identified as the kidnapping suspect through witness testimony, surveillance footage and facial trauma that investigators said he suffered in the altercation with
the boy's father.

Lt. William Hutchinson characterized the alleged attempted abduction as "random." Patrol officers were sent to the hotel at about 11:20 p.m. that night and learned that the youngster was snatched while on his way to visit friends a few rooms away from where he was staying with his father, police said.

Police did not identify the hotel, but there is a Hilton property at that address. When the boy's dad arrived at the friends' room to check on his son, he was not there, police said.

The father began searching for his son and saw him being held by an unknown male and walking through the hotel,'' according to a police statement.

"A confrontation occurred between the father and suspect that left the suspect with facial injuries."
Police said Harvey escaped before officers arrived.

Police said the victim's family did not know Harvey, who had a prior felony conviction in Riverside County for burglary.