Heroin suspected in 16 deaths
One-week total called ‘off the charts abnormal’
In an unprecedented spike, the Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office recorded 16 probable heroin-related deaths in just the last week.
Twelve of the deaths the office investigated occurred in Milwaukee County; four occurred in neighboring counties and were brought to the Milwaukee office.
“We kept seeing heroin, heroin, heroin,” said Karen Domagalski, operations manager for the office.
If all the Milwaukee cases are confirmed to be related to heroin, the one-week total would equal more than a quarter of the 44 heroin deaths the county had seen this year through June 6.
Scott Stokes, director of prevention services at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, called the situation “off the charts abnormal.”
Adding to the concern: There was no immediate explanation.
Domagalski said the deaths do not appear to be related and there is no indication the heroin came from the same batch. The deaths occurred all over the county and all during the week, she said, and the victims do not appear to have been out together. All the bodies have tested opiate-positive, but heroin is just one possible explanation; codeine or OxyContin are among the other possibilities.
While the final toxicology results will not be in for another two weeks or so, the scenes of the incidents point to heroin, Domagalski said. First responders found baggies and syringes on the properties, and family members of the victims described them as being users.
Domagalski added that her office has ruled out fentanyl — a painkiller 50 times more powerful than street heroin that caused a spate of deaths this year. Experts suggested some addicts may have confused it with heroin.
Stokes said his organization has seen an increase in the number of people taking advantage of its overdose training over the past few weeks. While ebbs and flows in the number of overdoses are normal, he said, 16 deaths would surpass any fluctuations he usually sees.
When heroin overdoses do spike, he said, it is usually because a purer form of the drug has become available or because users are mixing the heroin with a new kind of painkiller.
“Something is going on, (maybe) a more potent drug on the streets, we just don’t have a good handle on what it is,” Stokes said.
The Milwaukee Police Department was not immediately available for comment.
Milwaukee County has faced a steady but alarming increase in fatal heroin overdoses over the past few years. Four years ago, there were 45 confirmed heroin-related deaths. The number has gone up every year since then, reaching 119 last year. Officials have labeled Milwaukee’s heroin problem a “public health crisis,” although towns and cities across the country are seeing the same phenomenon.
Milwaukee Common Council President Michael Murphy said many factors are in play, including the increasing price of prescription drugs, which makes heroin a more affordable option for addicts. The solution, Murphy said, will need to be multidisciplinary.
“There isn’t one answer,” he said.