Officials in Decatur County are in a race against time to find the source of a lethal dose of heroin laced with fentanyl that is currently circulating in the community following the sudden death of at least three people over the course of the last week.

The names of the three who died are not being released, but they are all in their 30s and 40s. According to officials, two of the victims are females and one is a male.

It’s believe all three bought the same batch of heroin laced with fentanyl which can be deadly, even in minuscule amounts.

“Having that many deaths in that short of time, we realized then we had a problem,” said Decatur County Sheriff Keith Byrd.

Sheriff Byrd said the first victim died on March 16, with another dying the next day. The third death came on March 21, and now officials are desperate to find the source of the lethal concoction of heroin before it claims more lives here.

“I hope and pray we don’t have anymore deaths but the potential is out there. If you have a friend or family member on drugs, try to intervene, try to get them help,” Sheriff Byrd said.

In this relatively poor community of about 13,000 people, drug use is a constant problem. Officials are trying to determine if this lethal dose of drugs is connected to other batches that have claimed lives in Maury, Giles and Chester Counties in the last two weeks.

“Right now we have more questions than answers. This could all be related to the same source,” Byrd added.

No arrests have been made in connection with the overdose deaths. The Sheriff’s Office is currently waiting for state autopsy results from all three victims.