A sudden surge in suspected overdose deaths in Hamilton County has officials investigating and warning the public.
According to the Hamilton County Office of Addiction Response, twelve people are suspected of dying from overdoses between Friday, May 22 and Tuesday, May 26. Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan describes this as a dramatic spike in deaths.
Synan noted that 12 people died in May 2025. As of May 27 this year, that number has nearly doubled — 23 people have now died from suspected overdoses.
More than two people died in a single location, Synan said, suggesting they may have been using together.
This raises red flags for officials about whether people who don’t typically use drugs may have consumed a substance laced with something they didn’t know about, he said. A similar situation unfolded in 2017, when a series of cocaine users overdosed and died after their drugs were laced with fentanyl.
“We won’t know exactly what caused this until the coroner’s office finalizes testing,” Synan said.
He also said the drugs involved may have been nitazenes, a new class of opioids ten times more potent than fentanyl that Cincinnati first encountered in August 2025. He added that the drugs could also have been combination “cocktails.”
Synan urged everyone to use harm reduction tools, such as carrying naloxone — the opioid overdose reversal medication — and using drug test strips, even as overdose deaths have dropped significantly across the region.
“Although we made great strides,” Synan said, “we’re not out of the woods.”
Drug test strips and information about recovery services are available through Hamilton County Public Health’s website or by phone at 513-316-7725.
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