In February 2024, three men were found dead in a Durham hotel room. Newly released autopsies, search warrants and 911 calls are finally answering the question: What happened?
Speaking through an interpreter, 911 callers describe the scene they found.
Other WRAL Top Stories
"We opened the hotel room, and I think they're dead," one caller said. "There’s four. One of them, you can tell that they’re kind of still breathing a little bit, but the other three, I think for sure they’re dead."
Medical examiners' reports for the men state the cause of death is listed as "toxic effects of fentanyl, cocaine, and ethanol."
A search warrant shows a photo of white powder on a plate in the hotel room.
Overdose death numbers in North Carolina are down from 2022, but still in the thousands -- with 3,025 overdose deaths in 2024. As of October 2024, 1,749 of those deaths involved Fentanyl.
In the Durham case, the search warrant explains police are pursuing charges for "death by distribution." The relatively new charge in North Carolina allows law enforcement to hold accountable those who supply drugs that lead to overdose deaths.
That charge -- and the increase in autopsies it's causing for medical examiners -- is just one reason resources are strained at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
A spokesperson also pointed to Hurricane Helene as another cause.
To help alleviate the workload on them, Union County, outside Charlotte, has taken a new unique approach: opening its own autopsy center, made possible by more than $20 million in funding from the state legislature.
"What we’re doing here in Union County is taking a proactive approach to charging the drug dealers who sell the dangerous substances to the victims," explained Lt. James Maye, with the Union County Sheriff's Office. "We’re charging them with the death by distribution statute. That’s why it’s so important that we get these autopsies done quickly, efficiently and correctly."
The South Piedmont Regional Autopsy Center opened in December 2024 in a temporary location, with plans for a larger facility and increased workload in the future.
"I think overall for law enforcement, for the community, it's going to be a huge benefit," said Clayton Voignier, Union County's Assistant County Manager. "We are grateful that the state and our delegation has helped us out in this manner."
Voignier explains the facility is funded by the state, but is staffed and operated by the county. Eventually, it will serve nine counties.
Lt. Maye says it helps cut down on the amount of time it takes to get an autopsy completed. And the faster they are done, the faster they can get justice for families.
"I think every case you solve, you save countless number of lives," he said.