5 suspected overdose deaths in Butler County in 5 days
The Butler Coroner’s Office reported five suspected overdose deaths in a period of five days last month.
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The suspected overdose deaths took place between Oct. 20-25 and the substances that may have contributed to the deaths remain under investigation, the Butler County Coroner’s Office told our news partner WCPO in Cincinnati.
Four took place in Middletown and another was in Hamilton.
“Those are five people who were someone’s child, someone’s friend, and they’re all gone right before the holidays,” said AmandaLynn Reese, Harm Reduction Ohio’s chief program officer.
There have been 110 known or suspected overdose deaths in Butler County so far this year after 184 in 2022, WCPO reports.
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Newtown Police Chief Tom Syan says fentanyl remains a key threat in the Tri-State region.
“Fentanyl is causing most of the damage,” he said. “You’ll see additives put in whether it’s xylazine, nitazines. Anything that’s added to it is just trying to take that fentanyl up a notch.”
He did not comment to WCPO about what happened in Butler County but added that harm reduction programs are critical in reducing overdose deaths.
For more information on harm reduction and how to order overdose-reversal medication, visit this website.
