Lenoir police investigating 7 drug overdoses over Memorial Day weekend

LENOIR, N.C. — The Lenoir Police Department is investigating after receiving multiple overdose reports over Memorial Day weekend.

[NC father warns other parents after finding son dead of overdose: ‘Be scared of drugs']

Police said there were seven overdose victims at six different locations reported from Saturday to Monday, with one resulting in a man's death.

Officers responded Monday to a home on Maple Place in Lenoir and found 44-year-old Christopher Ducker and another person overdosed on drugs.

Ducker was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim's condition is unknown at this point.

Neighbor Rebecca Smith said she watched police cars and ambulances line Maple Place.

“Unfortunately, it’s just part of everyday life,” Smith said. "It really is. It’s horrible, but it’s just part of life around here.”

Detectives said it's too early in the investigation to say what kind of drug is behind the overdoses but believe illicit drug use played a role.

A lead investigator said that it will be at least a week before the lab is able to positively identify the drug used on Maple Place.

"Overdoses have become all too common in communities across the country," said Lenoir police Chief Brent Phelps. "These incidents are concerning and we are dedicating a large part of our manpower and resources into these investigations. Our folks continue to work diligently, fulfilling law enforcement's role in combating substance abuse for this community."

[Autopsy: 10-month-old girl died of fentanyl exposure; father charged with murder]

Neighbor Annie Dyson said she has seen people in the neighborhood struggle with addiction, along with her own family.

“He almost killed himself,” she said. “He overdosed on meth. He scared me. I just pray for everybody.”

Officers said they used Narcan to counteract the effects of the illicit drugs in two of the overdoses that happened over the weekend.

One of the seven overdoses involved a juvenile.

No arrests have been made in the recent overdoses. Six detectives are working the cases from the weekend.

Investigators said they are still trying to determine if the cases are related.

Police and sheriff deputies have made arrests in the past and charged dealers with murder when they can trace the drugs back to them.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Lenoir/Caldwell County Crime Stoppers at 828-758-8300 or the Lenoir Police Department at 828-757-2100.

Cox Media Group