Powell River RCMP attended a local residence on Saturday, January 30, at approximately 3 am to find an unresponsive man inside, due to a possible drug overdose.
The man, 22-year-old Ryder Hayes, was transported to Powell River General Hospital by ambulance and was pronounced dead at the hospital. The investigation has now been taken over by BC Coroners Service.
”There have been some cases in the community confirmed where there has been fentanyl use, so our suspicions are that it could be fentanyl mixed with heroin, but we don’t know and we haven’t been able to confirm that yet, and any cause of death will be determined by the BC Coroners Service,”said sergeant Kevin Day.
Police are reminding public of the dangers of using illicit drugs, in particular those where contents can be unknown and potentially fatal.
”It’s extremely sad and tragic, and this type of thing can hit a community really hard,” said Day. “We want to make sure the message is sent out there that people really need to take care.”
