'It is a fentanyl-related death': St. John's woman 2nd fatal overdose, police say

The sudden death of a 39-year-old woman in St. John's Thursday night is believedto be a case of drug overdose related to fentanyl, police say.

Officers were called to a home on Empire Avenue around 9 p.m.

"It is a fentanyl-related death, we're pretty confident withthat," said Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Insp. Paul Woodruff at a news briefing Friday.

While police are waiting for the results of lab tests, Woodruff said they have consulted with the Chief Medical Examiner and want to put out a warning.

"We're very concerned forthe safety of persons using illicit drugs," he said.

Users might not know

Sgt. Steve Knight of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit said police are seeing various kinds of drugsmostly heroin, some cocainelaced with fentanyl, and users might not know what they are getting.

"Fentanyl's been used to counterfeit percocet, oxycontin. When they come in they look exactly like the pill, the actual medication that's been prescribed by a physician," he said.

The woman's death came just hours afterthe RNC and Eastern Health issued a warning about 15 overdoses and one other death in the metro St. John's area over the last two weeks.

Woodruff said Friday that police believe there have been "significantly" more overdoses than that.

• Bad batch of drugs to blame for string of overdoses, says Tree Walsh
• 15 overdoses, 1 death in last two weeks prompt warning from Eastern Health

The RNC had the Empire Avenuescene temporarily blocked off Thursday night.

Responders walking in and out of the home were seen wearing head-to-toe protective outfits.

Woman dies on Empire Avenue

7 years ago

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Police are investigating a sudden, non-suspicious death in the centre of St. John's

Police said they are trying to trace the source of the fentanyl, and have interviewed people who survived overdosing.

"The fentanyl that we suspect might be on the street might be coming from outside the country," said Knight.