Crime & Safety
Three More Overdose on Possible Bad Batch of Heroin
One woman was in a coma Tuesday while two men were also hospitalized after consuming the drug.
Days after a man died in Portsmouth from a possible bad batch of heroin, authorities in Salem on Tuesday were investigating a similar incident.
Salem Deputy Police Chief Shawn Patten said a 20-year-old Haverhill, Mass., woman and two 21-year-old men — at least one of whom is from Salem — overdosed within a 21-hour period after taking heroin this week.
The woman was in a coma Tuesday at a Boston-area hospital after overdosing with one of the men Monday afternoon. The other man overdosed Tuesday afternoon.
Police believe that the trio purchased heroin in Lawrence, Mass.
The individuals' names won't be released until family members are notified, according to Patten.
Patten said police "are aware of similar overdoses in the area," including the Portsmouth incident, and that "a possible bad batch" of heroin is being distributed throughout the area.
He said his department will contact other area law enforcement agencies as part of its investigation.
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