West Lafayette police investigating drug overdoses

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WISH) — Officers with the West Lafayette Police Department are investigating suspected drug overdoses at an apartment, according to a news release.

At 1:57 a.m. Sunday, West Lafayette officers responded to a report that an individual was not breathing at an apartment in the 300 block of Brown Street. After arriving to the scene, officers discovered two people on the floor, both of whom were unresponsive and appeared to be suffering from suspected drug overdoses.

Officers administered doses of intranasal naloxone to each victim. The victims were a 32-year-old woman and a 45-year-old woman. While officers rendered medical aid, the 45-year-old victim appeared to have stopped breathing, so officers began administering CPR until medics arrived.

Both victims were transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. Meanwhile, officers obtained a search warrant for the apartment and recovered small amounts of suspected cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

At 11:42 a.m. Sunday, the West Lafayette Police Department responded to another report of an individual who was unresponsive at the same apartment. After arriving to the scene, officers discovered a 27-year-old male on the floor. The man was unresponsive and appeared to be suffering from a suspected drug overdose.

Officers administered a dose of intranasal naloxone to the victim and continued to render aid to him until medical personnel arrived. Officers obtained a second search warrant for the apartment, and found small amounts of suspected fentanyl, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. During the investigation, a 49-year-old male who had been conscious upon arrival, began showing symptoms of a drug overdose as well.

Both victims were transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. A 45-year-old female resident of the apartment was arrested for maintaining a common nuisance and transported to the Tippecanoe County Jail. She was one of the first victims during the early morning overdose call, and had since been released from the hospital.

At 2:09 a.m. Monday, medical personnel were dispatched to the Tippecanoe County Jail because the woman that the West Lafayette Police Department arrested had been found not breathing and unresponsive. She was later pronounced dead.

The 45-year-old woman’s identity, as well as her precise cause of death, will be released by the Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office.

The West Lafayette Police Department is warning the public about the possibility that substances they believe are cocaine may contain fentanyl or other substances that may cause a fatal overdose.

This is still an active investigation, and no further information was released by investigators at this time.