On Sunday evening, Cortez Police Officers and Emergency Medical Services responded to a residence in Cortez for a reported unconscious and unresponsive 55-year-old male. Medics on the scene conducted life-saving measures for the victim but were ultimately unsuccessful. The victim was pronounced deceased at Southwest Memorial Hospital. Fentanyl use was reported just prior to EMS arriving to render aid. An autopsy will be conducted and the exact cause of death will be determined at a later date. 

Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than Morphine. Fentanyl continues to drive the overdose epidemic and its presence has been found in all 50 states. According to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 107,375 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in 2021 to 2022. Of these deaths, an overwhelming sixty-seven percent involved synthetic opioids like Fentanyl.