The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident in which two were found dead and two were hospitalized

The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation this week after responding to a report of an illegal drug overdose that left two people dead and two others hospitalized.

Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Burns said that around noon on Tuesday, Feb. 15, a neighbor checked on the occupants of a home on Tranquil Meadow Lane in Wallburg. That visit prompted a call to law enforcement.

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When officers arrived, they executed a search warrant and found two people dead and two others who appeared to be suffering from drug overdoses. Burns said both were taken to hospitals and one patient was discharged, while the other victim remained in critical condition as of Thursday. The names of the patients and those who died were not released.

Burns said investigators are considering many scenarios because of the circumstances in which illegal drugs were involved in the incident, including whether it was a death by distribution.

He said the incident remains under investigation and any pending charges stem from the results of the autopsy by the state medical examiner. No charges have been filed at this time and officials could not say whether there are any suspects in this case.

North Carolina House Bill 474 went into effect in 2019 and imposes harsher penalties for those who supply drugs that result in an overdose death. The criminal charge is similar to intentional homicide or second-degree murder, but does not require prosecutors to prove intent to kill or malicious intent.

Related story: Two are charged with murder in Lexington as drug dealers are blamed for overdose deaths

General news reporter Sharon Myers can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @LexDispatchSM.

This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: Two found dead, two hospitalized for suspected overdose in Davidson County