Three people have died, and police have been worried there will be more fatalities. Someone has been peddling a toxic mix of narcotics on the streets in Maury County.
According to authorities, three healthy young men died within 24 hours. Clearly something very dangerous is being sold illegally on the streets.
"This was my brother's son, my nephew," said David Wray.
Ryan Wray was only 21 years old. His uncle said he died suddenly Wednesday of an apparent drug overdose.
"His father woke up to screams coming from his room, and he goes in and finds him aspirating and he tried to revive him and he couldn't," said Wray.
Ryan Wray was one of three local young men to die -- shockingly all within a 24 hour period -- after ingesting something far more powerful then they bargained for.
"He had some drug problems yeah, but marijuana and not hard drugs," said his uncle.
"We believe more than likely they got what they normally use and this time it was deadly," said District Attorney Brent Cooper.
Was it marijuana, heroin, cocaine? General Cooper said whatever it was, the substance was laced with something extremely powerful -- likely fentanyl. He's awaiting lab reports from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
But of more immediate concern -- there's a dealer working the streets selling death.
"Of course we are afraid there are others out there that may inject it into their system, and it will kill them," said General Cooper.
So law enforcement is out in full force now trying to find the source of deadly narcotics.
How deadly was the strength and amount of the substance that killed the three men? The use of Narcan -- which can save someone from an opioid overdose -- did not work.
Anyone with information on the origin of the drugs used has been asked to call the Maury County Sheriff's Office.
