String of deadly Schenectady drug overdoses remain under investigation

Schenectady Police continue to investigate another round of suspected drug overdoses.

Five people have died since Sunday, they said.

The city saw eight suspected fatal overdoses in one week, last month.

Schenectady Police called the number of deaths “unprecedented.”

The department’s special investigations unit is looking into the most recent five deaths.

The substances appear to be both inhaled and injected. It’s not clear yet what drugs are involved.

Transparency about the number of overdoses happening in real time is to remind the community that help is available, Schenectady Police said.

Data shows 44 people died of an overdose in Schenectady County in 2021. That’s about three people every month.

By comparison, in Albany County, 110 people died of an overdose in 2021 –about nine people every month.