Child Protection Services is assisting. Elise Schmelzer is the public safety reporter at The Denver Post and covers policing, crime and criminal justice. Police tape is stretched out Monday at an apartment building at 14480 E. 104th Ave. in Commerce City, where five people were found dead Sunday night. COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (KDVR) The Commerce City Police Department is issuing a stern warning after five people were found dead inside an apartment on Sunday afternoon. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. "I've known them for 2 1/2 years and they were awesome people, so this is devastating for the community. Both the adult and the baby are expected to survive; its unclear if the babys parents were among the dead. In limited cases, were even seeing it with marijuana.. Here's why. When you distribute drugs and it results in someones death and you are, essentially, on notice that you could be doing this, its not the same as when you distribute drugs and someone is feeding their addiction, he said, adding that he does not want to see increased criminal penalties for people suffering from addiction. The three women and two men died so quickly after ingesting the drugs that they were unable to call 911 or help each other, 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason said Monday. March 01, 2023 5:44 PM. She's been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice, breaking news and enterprise. The Adams County Coroners Office stated the victims have been identified as: Investigators are also waiting on a toxicology report until the final cause of death is determined. This is five people dying without realizing the drug theyre putting into their bodies, Mason said. / CBS Colorado, Update: District Attorney: 5 Deaths At Commerce City Apartment Were Fentanyl Related. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Pale, blue or cold skin. Karina Joy Rodriguez was one of five people found dead in a Commerce City apartment on Feb. 20, 2022, after they took cocaine laced with fentanyl. COMMERCE CITY, Colo. ( KDVR) The mother of a 4-month-old was one of the five dead adults found in an apartment with the baby Sunday afternoon. Five adults were found dead in a Colorado apartment Sunday after officials say they consumed a deadly amount of fentanyl apparently believing it was cocaine. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue. It also was a slap in the face to every parent who ever received a knock on their door informing them their child had died of an overdose. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration runs a 24/7 hotline to help connect people to addiction services: 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Anatolii Kurtiev, the secretary . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. 02 Mar 2023 08:41:10 We cant interview them, ask them where the drugs came from, and that makes these cases very challenging. I think this investigation is going to take a while, but were going to do as much as we can to get to the bottom of what happened.. No drug is safe, Mason said. Weiser said he expects to see such a bill introduced this year. The other adult who was transported "appears to be lucid. The latest breaking news, delivered straight to your email! Commerce City police are heading up the investigation into the deaths, along with the North Metro Drug Task Force and the district attorneys office, Mason said. A 29-year-old Hispanic woman and an infant, believed to be about 4 months old, were also found and were in good condition. In December 2020, a 25-year-old Aurora man was charged with first-degree murder after he was accused of knowingly giving fentanyl to a 16-year-old girl who then overdosed and died. Opioid overdoses, including fentanyl overdoses, can be reversed with naloxone, an over-the-counter nasal spray available at most pharmacies. Thats how lethal and how quick and how dangerous this drug is.. "If it is going to be illicit drugs, they were very, very bad," he said. ft. apartment is a 2 bed, 1.5 bath unit. They found five dead adults inside a home, police said. If you use a windshield cover, you can at least forget about scrapping the ice off your windshield to save some time and hassle. And quite honestly, the drug cartels know that when they are distributing these drugs.. Officers and first responders reported just before 4 p.m. Sunday to North Range Crossings Apartments at 14480 East 104th Ave in Commerce City in response to a call about several unconscious adults. Police Chief Clint Nichols says the victims include three women and two men. The Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation alongside Commerce City police and the 17th Judicial District Attorneys Office. The identities of the deceased will be released at a later time. We want to get to the bottom of what happened, but it is very challenging to build a criminal case with these types of cases, Mason said. Colorado nonprofits like Access Point Colorado (303-837-1501) and the Harm Reduction Action Center (303-572-7800) offer supplies like naloxone and fentanyl test strips. Officials expect that number to grow, citing a three-month delay, as overdose death data is finalized. A woman threw a house party with 65 men she matched with on Tinder and Hinge and connected with the man she's been dating for a year. Five people were found dead Sunday night at an apartment at North Range Crossings. The department said officers found the five adults, three women and two men, deceased inside the unit at North Range Crossings Apartments by the time they arrived. This is the nightmare scenario. All five likely died almost instantly, he said. A next-door neighbor to the apartment, Ian Scott, told The Denver Post he was alerted to the deaths by the screams of a distraught woman who appeared high Sunday afternoon. by: Dara Bitler. A substance, possibly illicit narcotics, was found inside the apartment, Nichols said. 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Loss of consciousness Detectives and crime scene investigators are at the scene, alongside victim advocates. Even without full data for the last three months, the 2021 death toll is a 42% increase from the 540 deaths recorded in 2020. Domenico Gigante, 36, faces four . The five deaths come as Colorados fentanyl overdose crisis continues to worsen and policymakers scramble to address the deadly opioid. Mason, who was at the scene Sunday, is working alongside Commerce City police and North Metro Drug Task Force. A sixth adult and a 4-month-old child survived. 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For a map of pharmacies that provide naloxone, check stoptheclockcolorado.org. Olivia Prentzel is a general assignment writer for The Colorado Sun. You are just minutes from Greenwood & Myers Mortuary is the first choice for many families when they are seeking funeral services in Boulder. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said Monday that the deaths in Commerce City show prosecutors and investigators need more resources in order to better address surging fentanyl use. Rodriguez and Marquez were the babys parents. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Gazette reporters Erin Prater and Chhun Sun and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Colorados age-adjusted rate of fentanyl overdoses has increased fivefold from the rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people recorded in 2018 to 9.29 in 2020. Opioid overdoses, including fentanyl overdoses, can be reversed with naloxone, an over-the-counter nasal spray available at most pharmacies. The department said more information will be released as details become available. Another adult and a 4-month-old child were alive inside the unit. While they thought that most of them were unconscious, one of the parties was awake and was transported by medical, Commerce City Police Chief Clint Nichols said. Fentanyl has been surging in Colorado for the last two years, Mason said, as drugmakers use the cheaper, more addictive option to boost their profits. Email: oliviaprentzel@coloradosun.com The victims that have been identified by family and friends are Karina Rodriguez, Sam Marquez and Humberto Arroyo. A friend of the victims identified them for Denver7, but out of respect for the family, we are not releasing names until confirmed by Commerce City police. Police said in a news release Monday that they were aggressively pursuing leads with plans to vigorously pursue charges., Obviously an investigation of this nature is very complicated, Mason said. The infant was also transported to a hospital. And in 2014, a Centennial woman linked to four fatal overdoses was charged with first-degree murder in the 2011overdose death of 21-year-old Carter Higdon. Access all of our premium content, get unlimited digital access and more! View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow. Police in Commerce City are investigating after five adults were found dead inside an apartment unit Sunday afternoon. Commerce City police found the bodies of three women and two men around 3:45 p.m. Sunday inside a home at the North Range Crossings Apartments at 14480 E. 104th Ave. A 29-year-old woman and a 4-month-old infant were in the apartment but survived, Commerce City police Chief Clint Nichols said Sunday night. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. According to the coroner's office in Adams County, the five victims were identified as: Sabas Daniel Marquez, 24. 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