Heroin deaths on rise in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County

CLEVELAND (AP) — Authorities say there were as many as six possible overdose deaths during the weekend in Cleveland and its suburbs.

The Cuyahoga County medical examiner’s office said today that expedited tests will be done to determine how the victims died.

The medical examiner’s office says drug users should be aware of the increasing number of fatalities in light of a heroin epidemic in the region.

Federal prosecutors say heroin overdose fatalities are up about 400 percent in recent years in parts of northeast Ohio.