A top Miami real estate exec died of an opioid OD. Now, the police are investigating

Real estate marketing executive was found dead in her home in October

Andrea Greenberg
Andrea Greenberg

Miami Police homicide detectives have opened an investigation into the death of real estate marketing executive Andrea Greenberg, who died in October from an opioid overdose, The Real Deal has learned.

The official cause of death was “acute combined drug toxicity,” involving three kinds of the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl, according to a copy of the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s report. TRD obtained a copy of the report on Monday.

In a brief interview, Valerie Greenberg, Andrea’s sister, said “there is a police investigation regarding the suspicious circumstances of my sister’s death, with homicide detectives assigned.” Valerie Greenberg added she could not say more for fear of interfering with the investigation.

Sergeant Max Valdes of the Miami Police confirmed that the homicide unit is investigating the death.

Greenberg was 54 when she was found dead at her home on Oct. 10, by her partner of 17 years, Alejandro Aparicio. He said Greenberg had fallen asleep on the couch at 10:30 p.m. while watching television. When he tried to wake her, around 12:30 or 1 a.m., Greenberg was unresponsive, Aparicio has said.

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“To the best of my knowledge she did not use any illegal drugs,” Aparicio said on Tuesday. “She was taking, under medical supervision, diet pills when she died, and she had been sick for several months probably caused by those pills.”

Phentermine, a drug used as an appetite suppressant that is similar to amphetamine, was among the substances found in Greenberg’s system, according to the medical examiner’s toxicology report.

In recent years, the real estate community in New York has lost several prominent members to opioid overdoses. In January, Max Elghanayan, the son of TF Cornerstone co-founder Frederick Elghanayan, died of an overdose at age 30. Steve Witkoff’s son, Andrew, died of an Oxycontin overdose at 22 in 2011, and the following year, SJP Properties CEO Steven Pozycki’s son, Steven Michael Pozycki, died of a heroin overdose at age 32.

Greenberg had spent 16 years at Fortune International Group, where she rose through the ranks to become the firm’s vice president of marketing. She led the Jade property brand from its inception, including Jade Residences at Brickell Bay, Jade Beach, Jade Ocean and Jade Signature towers. Greenberg also worked on Ritz-Carlton Residences Sunny Isles Beach, SLS Brickell and other Fortune projects.

In the summer of 2016, she left Fortune. That November, she joined Douglas Elliman Florida as chief marketing officer. But that tenure was short, and she left about three months later. Greenberg then started her own consulting firm. Aparicio has said that Greenberg was happy that she had decided to work for herself, and had scored several major clients.