3 found dead in NW Indiana apartment, overdoses suspected

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (AP) - Three people found dead last week in a northwest Indiana apartment are believed to have died from drug overdoses, a coroner said.

The bodies of Debra Anderson, 50; Mary Wilson, 59; and Donnie Dennis, 68, all of Michigan City, were found on July 28 in the LaPorte County city.

Michigan City police have excluded foul play, but have said drug-related overdoses and natural causes have not been ruled out in the deaths in the city, which borders Lake Michigan and is about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) east of Chicago.

LaPorte County Coroner Lynn Swanson said Tuesday morning that drug overdoses are the suspected causes of the deaths, although a final ruling is pending on toxicology test results, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.

Police have asked that anyone with information on the deaths to contact them.

Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government reported in July. That estimate eclipsed the high of about 72,000 drug overdose deaths reached the previous year and amounts to a 29% increase.