The deaths of three students in Prince George’s County, Maryland, over the past several weeks are being investigated as possible fentanyl overdoses, police officials confirmed to News4.
Police suspect the deaths are linked to blue pills labeled with an “M” that police believe users think is Percocet, police said. The medical examiner’s office has not confirmed the deaths were fentanyl overdoses.
A 10th grader at Fairmont Heights High School died at home Oct. 23. The toxicology and medical examiner reports are still under way.
A middle school student died outside their apartment building Nov. 2, and the toxicology report says fentanyl was found in their system. The cause of death remains under investigation.
Then Friday morning, a 10th grader from Bladensburg High School died at home. Her toxicology and medical examiner reports also remain under way.
Prince George’s County police posted a warning on Facebook Friday morning about the blue pills with the letter “M.”
Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland, news updates, events and information
Police said they’ve come across the pills recently and found them to test positive for fentanyl. They linked them to multiple overdoses.
Police call it a poisoning problem.
“Not getting it from a medical professional, then you should associate that with being poison, and if that gets your attention to say, ‘Well, I don’t want to die as a result of taking whatever it is,’” Maj. Chad Schmick told News4’s Mauricio Casillas.
News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.