13-Year-Old Who Died Of Fentanyl Overdose Had 100 Bags Of Synthetic Opioid In Room

A 13-year-old student, who died of a fentanyl overdose at a Connecticut school, allegedly had 100 bags of the synthetic opioid in his bedroom.

The police revealed the information Tuesday after searching the teenager's residence.

On Jan. 13, the police found 40 bags of fentanyl at the Sports and Medical Science Academy in Hartford, after the teenage student collapsed in the school gymnasium. Two other students were also taken to a local hospital. The school was placed on a soft lockdown following the incident.

Authorities believe the teenager brought the drugs to the school, and all three students likely came in contact with the fentanyl at the same time, USA Today reported. The police said 100 bags of drugs, packaged in the same way, were found in the boy’s bedroom. All the bags reportedly had the same stamp and tested at similar "extremely high" purity levels.

Hartford police revealed the fentanyl from the school tested at 58 percent purity, and the fentanyl found in the boy’s room tested at 60 percent, according to reports.

The police said there was no indication anyone else brought the drugs to the school.

The 13-year-old, whose name has not been released, died on Jan. 16 after being revived by emergency responders after overdosing. The other two students were released from the hospital, New York Daily News reported.

An investigation was currently underway into the incident, the police said.

Authorities also said the bags of fentanyl will undergo further testing, including fingerprint and DNA. This would help in determining who gave the teenager the drugs, CBS News reported. A person of interest has been identified in the case, authorities said, but he hasn’t been labeled as a suspect as of now.

Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Leslie Torres called the death a "tragic loss." Torres also stressed about the importance of opioid awareness and prevention.

According to the National Institute of Health, nearly 50,000 people in the United States died from opioid-involved overdoses in 2019. Misuse and addiction of opioids include prescription pain relievers, heroin and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated the total "economic burden" of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year. This includes costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment and criminal justice involvement.