KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 22-year-old man from Lawrence was found dead Wednesday in a residence in Ottawa, where evidence of fentanyl was recovered, according to the Ottawa Police Department.
The incident is still under investigation.
Ottawa police have reported an increase in fentanyl overdoses in the city. Officers have used Narcan to save two people, including a 17-year-old, in the past week after finding them unresponsive from suspected fentanyl overdoses.
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Officers were dispatched to check on an unconscious person inside a vehicle on Nov. 8. Upon arrival, they determined that the person was suffering from an apparent fentanyl overdose. Police later arrested a 22-year-old male from Ottawa.
There is no indication that the Nov. 8 incident is related to Wednesday, according to police.
"Drug investigations involving fentanyl are a priority for the Ottawa Police Department Drug Unit and will likely only get worse as its use gains traction in Ottawa and Franklin County," Ottawa Police Chief Adam Weingartner said in a statement.
Ottawa police ask anyone with information about fentanyl distribution to contact their drug unit at 785-242-2561.
KSHB 41 News has covered the illicit use of fentanyl extensively, including Going 360 on its impact on the Kansas City area.
The Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division, which covers Missouri, Kansas and southern Illinois, seized over 650 pounds of fentanyl powder, fake pills and rainbow fentanyl last month.
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