Three suspected drug overdose deaths under investigation

Police still don’t know the cause of three apparent overdose deaths Wednesday in Spokane.

However, Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer, of the Spokane Fire Department, said he saw drug paraphernalia at the scene of one of the deaths that was consistent with heroin and opiate use, and that firefighters at the other two scenes said the same thing.

“In all likelihood, the overdoses were related to opiates,” Schaeffer said.

William L. Hubbard, 21, and Yana Olar, 25, were found dead in Spokane at different locations. Jessica M. Peterson, 29, was found dead in Spokane Valley. The deaths were less than three hours apart on Wednesday morning.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday it is awaiting toxicology test results to determine the cause of death in all three cases.

Spokane Police spokeswoman Teresa Fuller said the department also is waiting for those test results and released information about the apparent overdose deaths as a precaution.

“We intentionally left that press release pretty ambiguous,” Fuller said. “From what we saw, they appeared to be overdose deaths.”

The Spokane County Health District released a statement Thursday urging drug users to know overdose signs and to seek medical help.

Health district spokeswoman Kim Papich said the district doesn’t know what substances were involved in Wednesday’s apparent overdose deaths.

“If they determine it is heroin, that is a message we want our clients to know,” she said.

Schaeffer said during the past 18 months, he’s seen multiple drug deaths in a short period of time, possibly linked to bad batches of drugs.

In 2014, there were nine opiate-related deaths in Spokane County. Although this is lower than state or national averages, Papich said, Spokane County still has an opiate overdose problem.

“My sense is that (the) community feels safe in reaching out to first responders,” she said in explaining the lower-than-average death rate.

What’s more, Spokane first responders are trained to administer Naloxone, a medication that can reverse otherwise-fatal opioid overdose.

Both Schaeffer and Papich urged people to look beyond the stigma of drugs and address it as a medical and social issue.

“These are people that have family members and friends and loved ones and people that care about them,” Papich said.

Schaeffer added, “It’s pervasive. Through all levels of society. And it’s a true medical epidemic.”

Spokane City Councilman Mike Fagan said Wednesday that he received a briefing from Spokane Police indicating the deaths were linked to heroin.