Dana Furtado, 44 and Amber Morrow, 21, were found dead at Furtado’s Cascade Road home around 7 p.m. Jan. 23, according to police. Police were at the home doing a wellness check at the request of friends and family members who had been unable to contact Furtado or Morrow.
Mark Belserene, spokesman for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, said in an email Wednesday that Morrow had died of acute intoxication of the combined effects of fentanyl, ethanol and diphenhydramine and Furtado died of acute intoxication of the combined effects of fentanyl and ethanol. Both deaths are considered accidental, said Belserene.
According to information on the National Institute on Drug Abuse website, Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. It is typically used to treat patients with severe pain or to manage their pain after surgery.
Old Orchard Beach Captain David Hemingway said the case is under investigation and police are still trying to indentify where the drugs came from.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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