Two die in apparent drug overdoses in Kill Devil Hills

Published 4:45 pm Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Between Friday, April 13 and Sunday, April 15, two men died in apparent drug overdoses in Kill Devil Hills.

The first death, a 51-year-old man from Virginia Beach, happened in the 1700block of Sobel Drive, town police said in a news release. Friends of the victim discovered him unresponsive and called 911 about 10:20 p.m.

“Lifesaving measures were taken by law enforcement and EMS including CPR, application of NARCAN and use of the AED. Unfortunately, the victim could not be revived,” the release said.

Get the latest headlines sent to you

The second incident occurred Sunday afternoon in the 300 block of Wallace Street when town police were called to an apparent overdose at 12:25 p.m.

All Kill Devil Hills officers carry AED (automatic external defibrillators) as well as NARCAN (naloxone HCl). In this case, however, the victim, a 43-year-old man, was not discovered in time for life-saving measures to be attempted.

Police said it appears heroin was the drug used in both cases.

“Due to growing concerns about exposure to heroin combined with Fentanyl, on-scene drug testing of suspected heroin is rarely done by investigators,” the release said. Fentanyl is a powerful opioid used to increase the potency of heroin.

Lab results on the substances found at the scene are pending.