Police Investigating Two Suspected Overdose Deaths At Howard County Fair

WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Howard County Police are investigating the suspected overdose deaths of two food vendor employees at the Howard County Fair in West Friendship, according to the police department’s news release.

Howard County Fair President Micky Day told WMAL that two employees working at the fair’s food concessions did not report to work, prompting the concessions’ operator to seek them out.

Police were then called around 11:50 a.m. by an employee who discovered that there were two people inside a locked bunk house on the fairgrounds, the release stated.

After fire department personnel performed a force entry, they found two deceased men inside.

One man was described to be in his 30s and the other in his 40s, both of them coming from out-of-state.

Police say that evidence of drug use was located at the scene, but more updates will follow. In a preliminary investigation, there were no indications of foul play.

#HoCoPolice are responding to the suspected overdose deaths of two food vendor employees at the Howard County Fair. Evidence of drug use was located at the scene. Preliminarily, there are no indications of foul play. Will update.

— Howard County Police (@HCPDNews) August 7, 2018

The cause of death will be confirmed through autopsy. Ride operators at the fair are drug tested, but food vendors are not, according to Day.

“We will look at our procedures and see if there’s any adjustments that need to be made in the future as it pertains to our independent food vendors,” Day said. The fair will continue to run until Friday, Aug. 11.