Second fatal heroin overdose adds to grim tally

MARION – Two people have died and 22 others have suffered from overdoses since May 20 in Marion County, and Marion police are again using social media to caution the public about the more dangerous heroin identified as "Blue Drop."

Lt. Chris Adkins, of the MARMET Task Force, said dealers are trying to reduce the bluish tint so drug users will still buy it even though some are trying to stay away from it.

"We're working hard to find the people who are selling this extra-dangerous drug, and we're trying to save lives," said Maj. Jay McDonald, of the MARMET Task Force, who knew of two cases that were reported Tuesday morning.

Kelly Clixby knows all too well what it's like to overdose on heroin laced with fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid that is suspected in the rash of recent overdoses. Adkins said they've found some of the heroin at overdose scenes, and it's being tested to confirm what exactly is causing the overdoses.

Clixby hosts an online 12-step recovery group and is a founding member of the Fight Against Heroin (Marion Ohio) Facebook group that recently organized a cleanup of Garfield Park. Clixby has been sober since Oct. 21, 2014, nine months after the day she almost died.

"I don't remember much of that night, but I remember injecting it and immediately thinking 'This is going to be bad,' " said Clixby, who, along with her husband, is now certified to administer the overdose reversal drug Narcan, which has proved to saves lives of heroin users.

"The next thing I remember was the paramedic standing over me," she said. "They revived me with an injection of Narcan, which puts addicts into immediate withdraw symptoms. I seized, was sick, and had the tremors right away. It was terrifying."

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Fentanyl, a narcotic often used to ease extreme pain for patients in the final stages of diseases, can be up to 100 times more powerful than morphine. It is the most potent opioid available for medical use. Doctors prescribe fentanyl in micrograms rather than larger milligrams.

The Drug Enforcement Administration issued a nationwide alert in March after a surge of overdose deaths linked to heroin laced with fentanyl was reported.

Marion police haven't confirmed that fentanyl is the culprit in the string of overdoses. Autopsy results are pending on Bailey Witzel, who died on Thursday. They also couldn't confirm an exact source of the drugs involved, though McDonald said that, historically, drugs in Marion come from Detroit or Chicago.

McDonald said that, in general, if someone commits a felony and it results in the death of another person, they can face involuntary manslaughter or murder charges.

However, he would not comment on the two recent heroin overdoses of Witzel and Chris Wolford, as they are being investigated by the Marion County Sheriff's Office, and he didn't have the exact details.

"I was terrified for my friends and loved ones," Clixby recalled of her experience. "I traumatized them all."

She said two or three members of her 12-step support group have overdosed on the tainted heroin and have survived the experience without calling 911 for help for fear of arrest. They are now afraid of the drug and seek support to stay away from it.

"You'd think that it would be a deterrent to users, knowing that a dose is especially strong," Clixby said. "But to an addict's way of thinking, the more potent, the better. We are all chasing that first, really good high. We hear it's strong, pure. So we want it to recapture that high."

Clixby and her husband, Randy Clixby, now work with other recovering addicts to help them stay clean, but relapses often occur.

The Clixbys got a call for help Friday night and rushed to a Morral address only to find that an ambulance had beaten them to the scene.

They were all too late to save Chris Wolford, who couldn't be revived from an apparent heroin overdose.

"It was a devastating evening for lots of us who were close to him," Clixby said.

Heather Lee Lower was arrested on outstanding warrants Friday night, according to sheriff's reports, after she called a friend for help, apparently frightened that Wolford had overdosed but too scared to call 911. The friend called 911 and then called the Clixbys who are known to carry Narcan for opioid overdose emergencies.

"My husband knew Chris, knew he had been in treatment, as recently as this year," she said.

McDonald said the police department encourages people to call 911 in the event of an overdose, as saving lives takes priority and sorting other issues out would come later or not at all.

"It really breaks my heart," Clixby said. "Chris had a young daughter and lots of friends.

"A lot of people were pulling for him."

jsmiller@gannett.com

Twitter: @motionblur56

shickey@gannett.com

Twitter: @SpenserHickey