WHEELING, W.Va. — Four people overdosed on drugs, leading to two deaths, within 13 hours Monday afternoon through early Tuesday morning in Wheeling.
“Four overdoses is very unusual and raises a red flag,” Wheeling Police Department spokesman Philip Stahl said, adding that three of the overdose victims were women and one was a man.
At 3:08 p.m. Monday, a person went into a restroom at Barnes and Noble on 16th Street downtown, came out of the restroom and passed out, police reported. About 15 minutes later, responders found a person dead, likely of an overdose of pills at a Fifth Street address in North Wheeling, Stahl said.
Nearly two hours passed before the second overdose death was reported at 5:24 p.m. at 1066 Hildar St. At 4:23 a.m. Tuesday, police found a man unconscious out on the sidewalk in the 200 block of Kruger Street in Elm Grove, also due to an overdose, according to Stahl.
Only the Fifth Street overdose incident may have been pills-related, but the other three, including the other overdose death, most likely were due to heroin use, Stahl said.
Drug overdoses aren’t new to the department, which has received about 60 investigation calls since winter, Stahl said. He said illegal drug use and overdosing are problems throughout the region and state, as well. For example, in Huntington, there were 27 heroin overdoses, including one overdose death, reported within four hours Aug. 15. In Cincinnati, there were 174 heroin overdoses in about six days in late August, according to published reports.
West Virginia’s drug overdose death rate has been the highest in the nation, and more than double the national average, according to a 2015 report by Trust for American’s Health, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
That report cites 2011-13 statistics that show 34 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 West Virginians, compared to the national average of 13.4 deaths.
It will take a while to learn exactly which drugs were involved in the Wheeling incidents. The investigations are being conducted in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force. Three Wheeling officers are dedicated to work on the task force, Stahl said.
To get help with drug abuse, police recommend calling 844-435-7498, where callers can connect with substance abuse treatment and behavioral health services, Stahl said. For more information, visit help4wv.com.
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