CHARLESTON, W.Va. — One man died and another man remains hospitalized after what appears to have been a pair of heroin overdoses near the Kanawha River in Charleston Thursday evening, police said.
One of the victims drowned, Chief of Detectives Lt. Steve Cooper said.
“We suspect that the drowning is connected with drugs,” Cooper said.
The second man, who was alive when emergency crews arrived at just before 5 p.m., is identified as Christopher Smith, 32, of Charleston. He is being treated at Thomas Memorial Hospital in South Charleston.
Drugs and water don’t mix, Cooper said.
“Typically if you overdose and there’s no help there, whether you end up in the water or not, you may not survive it,” Cooper said.
Both men are believed to be part of the city’s homeless population, Cooper said.
Police are still trying to notify the drowning victim’s next of kin.