LAWRENCE, Ind. — Police in Lawrence are investigating three suspected deadly overdoses from April 20.
Police first came across two unresponsive men in a car at Community Park in Lawrence. One man died at the scene, and the other was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.
"There were some obvious indicators of substance abuse there," Lawrence Police Chief Gary Woodruff said. "Found some drug paraphernalia, found some remnants of a white powdery substance that was preliminarily field-tested as containing fentanyl."
An hour later, around 2 a.m., officers were called to the Sports Page Lounge in the 4600 block of North Post Road. Police said two men were believed to have overdosed. They were rushed to the hospital, where they died.
The bar owner told 13News that one was a bartender and the other was a frequent customer. He said there is video of the incident that shows the two men collapsing inside the bar.
Woodruff said it’s unusual to have suspected overdose cases so close together.
“Since these two incidents occurred within an hour apart and in kind of the same area, it’s not completely certain the two incidents are connected, but our detectives have to explore that potential,” Woodruff said.
Woodruff warns that many street drugs are laced with fentanyl, saying even the smallest amount can be dangerous.
“That person can think they are purchasing one thing, but in fact, they may be actually purchasing something else that’s not only illegal, it’s also very deadly,” Woodruff said.
Across the country and in Indianapolis, drug overdoses, especially from fentanyl, have become a huge problem. In 2021, 107,000 people died from overdoses nationwide. In Marion County alone, there were more than 800 deaths, with 641 of those due to fentanyl.
When it comes to the people selling this deadly drug, the Drug Enforcement Administration isn't holding back.
"People do need to be held accountable for doing that because they're destroying people's lives and families," said Mike Gannon, special agent in charge with the DEA in Indianapolis.
In the Lawrence cases, three families were destroyed, leaving a community heartbroken and a police department searching for answers.
“We will leverage every resource we need to fully investigate what the potential source is that’s introducing this poison into our streets," Woodruff said.
Toxicology is pending on the exact cause of death for each person.