Columbus police release names of two Ohio State University students who fatally overdosed
Two Ohio State University students who died after overdosing at an off-campus residence have been identified.
Tiffany Iler, 21, and Jessica Lopez, 22, were the students who died, Columbus police said Monday.
According to the university's website, Iler was working on a bachelor's of science degree in neuroscience and was pre-med, working as a research assistant. She was scheduled to graduate in 2023.
What we know: What we know about the overdose deaths of two Ohio State students
Her LinkedIn page shows she was from Broadview Heights, near Cleveland. She was a graduate of the Laurel School, an all-girls’ independent college preparatory school for grades K-12 in Shaker Heights, and a member of the Delta Zeta sorority since 2020.
Iler was an active volunteer, having worked with Meals on Wheels, the American Red Cross and BuckeyeThon, according to her LinkedIn profile. She volunteered as a crisis counselor for Crisis Text Line and as a tutor with Seeds of Literacy, helping to tutor adults in passing their GED and learning math.
Iler was also an avid swimmer. She was a member of the Lake Erie Silver Dolphins swim club, and an instructor at Bluefish Swim School at Ohio State, teaching swim activities for children with developmental disabilities.
Lopez was a major in computer and information science, according to the university's website.
Originally from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, Lopez wrote in an OSU profile that she liked to make crafts, run, and loved to read in her free time. Her parents were originally from Mexico, where she loved to vacation and had lots of family and friends who still live there.
Messages left for Iler and Lopez's family members by The Dispatch were not immediately returned.
Delta Zeta's Theta chapter at OSU, of which Iler was a member, declined to comment and directed further comments to the national organization.
The two women died at area hospitals after Columbus Fire paramedics were called Wednesday to a duplex home on the first block of East Lane Avenue.
Two students die after overdoses: Second Ohio State student dies from apparent drug overdose, another released from hospital
According to the 911 call, a student who lived at the residence came downstairs to find her roommate and one of her roommate's friends unresponsive and a white substance on the counter. A third person was convulsing and having shortness of breath.
Preliminary records from the Columbus Division of Fire showed two women were transported from the house on Wednesday night in critical condition, but later died.
A third student, a 21-year-old female, was transported and hospitalized in stable condition. She was released Thursday after being treated.
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At Ohio State's commencement ceremony on Sunday, President Kristina M. Johnson mentioned the two women in a moment of silence held for those who had died during the academic year.
“Our hearts go out to their families and friends at this moment of shock and grief," she said.
Columbus police are investigating Lopez and Iler's deaths as suspected accidental overdoses.
While it has not been confirmed what substance may have been involved, Columbus Public Health issued a warning on Thursday about pills that look like adderall but are actually fentanyl or fentanyl-laced.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OSU students Tiffany Iler, 21, and Jessica Lopez, 22, died last week
