Police: Apparent overdoses kill 2 brothers

Two brothers whose bodies were found Thursday morning inside a home at 54 Ward St. died of apparent drug overdoses, Burlington police said.

The authorities are investigating whether the men took heroin laced with fentanyl, Police Chief Michael Schirling said.

Dennis Thibault, 34, of Burlington and Sean Thibault, 32, of Westford are the men who died, the police said. Burlington police and firefighters were summoned to the home at 8:55 a.m. after family members found the brothers.

"Our thoughts are with their family and friends during this difficult time," Schirling said during a news conference later Thursday morning.

Investigators alerted the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and autopsies are expected either Thursday or Friday to determine cause and manner of death. Schirling said it is unknown how long the two men had been dead.

Schirling said an investigation will determine whether any arrests will be made. He said there was no known threat to public safety.

"Today's tragic news of two overdose deaths in Burlington underscores the need to maintain our focus on opiate addiction," Mayor Miro Weinberger said in a statement.

"This is a statewide challenge, and the news today in our City further highlights the importance of continued increases in treatment options and public health approaches to addiction and drug abuse, as well as robust enforcement and prosecution of those who traffic narcotics in our neighborhoods."

As of June 12, 30 overdoses had been reported to Burlington police, compared with 37 for the 2014 calendar year, and 34 in 2013. These totals include only those overdoses reported to the police.

Police officers used yellow security tape to seal off the two-story white and grayish-blue house in the Old North End, about two blocks from the John Boardman Fire Station on North Avenue.

The police said they have been to the home in the past for reports of drug-related activity.

Dec. 4, detectives and the Street Crimes Unit executed a search warrant at the home and arrested John Nolan, 48, of Burlington on suspicion of selling heroin. One of the men found dead Thursday had been involved in that case, but he had not been arrested.

At that time, records showed that police and fire crews had been to the house for two prior overdose calls. There have been no calls to the home since the search warrant was executed in December.

Neither of the brothers had an arrest record, Chief Schirling said.

Investigators believe an increasing number of heroin packages contain fentanyl, "making a dangerous use of drugs even more dangerous," police said. Schirling said investigators believe fentanyl is coming from outside of Vermont for the most part, primarily from New York.

The Vermont State Police have also warned the public this year about the use of fentanyl, a narcotic pain reliever.

According to the Vermont Department of Health, fentanyl is an opioid drug that is up to 50 times more powerful than heroin, and much deadlier, the state police had said. A very small amount of pure fentanyl, or just a few grains, can stop a person's breathing and lead to death, state police said. In April when state police released the warning, a batch of fentanyl-laced heroin called "Ronald Reagan" was being sold in New England.

It is unknown what was contained in the drugs that caused the Ward Street overdose pending toxicology reports, Schirling said.

Schirling said the police have used a variety of enforcement efforts to try to combat the use of heroin, including targeting drug dealers, knocking on residents' doors and talking about the issues and helping connect people with treatment.

Ward Street resident Joseph Joseph, 62, who lives across the street, said he was shocked by the sight of police cars on his street Thursday morning. Joseph, a nine-year resident, said he does not know the residents of the home.

"It's really terrible to hear something like that happening in this little neighborhood," Joseph said.

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LizMurraySMC.