New Bedford loses at least three to likely drug overdoses over 8-day span

New Bedford lost three people to what are likely drug overdoses within an 8-day span from July 16-24. One of the victims was discovered unresponsive in front of his home by a person walking by and another was found with 15 prescription bottles.

At 3:54 am on July 16th, a person died of a suspected overdose at the Burger King at 1383 Cove Road in New Bedford. No further details are known at this time.

At 8:13 pm on July 19th, a 44-year-old New Bedford man was found unresponsive outside of a Conduit Street home by a person who was walking. According to the Bristol County District Attorney’s office, the passerby immediately called 911 and the victim was rushed to St. Luke’s where he was pronounced dead. When police went back to the area where the victim was located, they found Narcan but no drugs were discovered. The victim was known to his family to have suffered from serious drug problems for several years.

At 11:56 pm on July 24th, a 50-year old Cape Cod woman died of a suspected overdose on Holly Street in New Bedford. According to police, the victim was sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor of the living room when her girlfriend found her unresponsive on the floor, called the police, and attempted to revive her with CPR. New Bedford Rescue arrived and transported her to St. Luke’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead. 15 different prescription bottles were found in the victim’s possession. According to the Bristol County District Attorney’s office, the incident appears to be a fatal overdose as the victim had a very long history of drug abuse.