A woman was found dead on a block in the Penn North neighborhood Thursday evening, less than a week after the area’s second mass overdose event this month.
Police discovered the unresponsive woman during a foot patrol on Pennsylvania Avenue near North Avenue around 6:30 p.m. Medics were called to the scene, but she was pronounced dead shortly after their arrival.
Authorities are investigating the incident as a “questionable death,” and an autopsy will be conducted by the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause.
Residents of Penn North have expressed concerns about the ongoing drug crisis in the area, speculating that a “bad batch” of drugs may have led to the woman’s death.
“You’re on North and Pennsylvania Avenue, right? So that’s what happens right here. It’s nothing but a drug area right here. So, you know, I’m not really surprised,” said Ms. Hardy, a local resident.
Malik, another resident, added, “You have kids out here experimenting just to make a dollar, and they put it in pill form and people are buying it just to say, ‘Hey, I got a nod.’ It’s getting bad.”
Despite a decline in overdoses across Baltimore, the Penn North neighborhood remains heavily impacted by the opioid crisis.
Earlier this month, an emergency response on July 10 resulted in at least 27 people being hospitalized, some in critical condition. Last Friday, five more individuals were taken to the hospital due to overdoses, though none were fatal.
Malik expressed a grim outlook on the situation, saying, “It’s going to get worse. It’s like a cancer, it’s like a poison — it’s only going to get worse.”
The identity of the deceased woman has not been released by police, but she was reportedly well known in the area.
Have a news tip? Contact Keith Daniels at kdaniels@sbgtv.com and follow him on X at @KeithDFox45.
