WARSAW – Kosciusko County is seeing a record number of overdose deaths in 2022, and much of it is connected to fentanyl.
Kosciusko County Coroner Tony Ciriello said he’s aware of 28 deaths this year – far surpassing the previous high of 17 set a few years ago.
The update came as Ciriello was making a request for $50,000 to help cover the cost of autopsies, many of which involve overdoses.
He said they’ve seen a significant uptick in calls for service since August, he said.
Investigators are finding many of the overdoses involve a mix of drugs with fentanyl appearing in many of the cases.
He said he thinks Narcan, the drug used to quickly resuscitate overdose victims, has become a factor. Too many people are using that as a fallback in case something happens.
“I think a lot of people feel safe doing that, but if there is nobody there to administer it, it doesn’t work.”
