Bailee Lynn Rios Appears in Court on 2 Murder Counts After Deadly LA Bus Crash

Q: Which mysterious 'hard drugs' fueled a wrong-way rampage that ended in two brutal murders and a shattered community?

The specific drugs have not been publicly identified. Los Angeles County prosecutors said Bailee Rios had drugs in her system and narcotics in her SUV, but District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the substances are still being tested and described them only as “hard drugs.” Some reporting has cited law-enforcement sources saying investigators recovered suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia from Rios’s belongings. But that has not been confirmed in official charging statements, and prosecutors have emphasized that final chemical and toxicology results are still pending. What is established from the case record is that Rios, 36, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder, along with DUI causing injury and reckless driving, after authorities say she drove a 2004 Ford Expedition the wrong way on De Soto Avenue in Chatsworth, ran a red light and slammed into a Metro Line 166 bus. Two people, Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31, were killed, and six others were injured. So the factual answer is that the “hard drugs” remain officially unidentified for now. The strongest unconfirmed indication in public reporting points to suspected methamphetamine, but authorities have not yet released lab-confirmed results naming the substances or their quantity.

3 articles · Updated · KABC-TV · Sep 18

Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, was finally transported to Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday after missing two earlier appearances for medical reasons following Tuesday’s Chatsworth Metro bus crash.
Prosecutors charged her with two counts of second-degree murder, DUI and reckless driving, alleging she was speeding, high on drugs and ran a red light before slamming into the bus.
2 people on the bus were killed and 5 others were injured, including 2 critically; Rios was trapped in her smashed SUV and had to be cut out by firefighters.
$4.03 million bail remains in place, and prosecutors said Rios could face life in prison if convicted; court records also show prior drug offenses and driving on a suspended license.
Thursday’s community vigil in Chatsworth honored all 5 people killed in the bus and nearby news-helicopter crashes, while prosecutors said any helicopter-related charges would await the federal investigation.