Salem Cops Say Overdoses Appear to Be Increasing

SALEM, NH — The Salem Police Department announced today that it had seen “a sharp increase in overdoses” in the past five days but investigators don’t know if the overdoses are related or if there is a tainted batch of drugs circulating through the community. According to Capt. Joel P. Dolan of the Salem Police Department, officers responded to a fatal overdose at just past midnight on Dec. 24, 2016, after a 24-year-old woman was found by friends.

“Officers learned she had recently been in rehab,” Dolan noted.

About eight hours later, family members of a 31-year-old man found him passed away due to an overdose. He had also been in rehab in New York state.

The department has also responded to three other incidents since Christmas eve, Dolan noted.

“At this time, the overdoses do not appear to be related,” Dolan stated. “The exact cause of this spike is not known at this time, however, it could very well be caused by a tainted batch of heroin and/or fentanyl.”