Three deaths over the holiday

period and the September death of a Sandy Creek High School student are

being linked in part to overdoses on prescription drugs.

Two of the victims apparently

overdosed after "partying," said Lt. Col. Bruce Jordan of the

Fayette County Sheriff's Department. Suicide is not indicated as

a factor in any of the cases, he added.

Two of the victims had Oxycontin,

a narcotic painkiller, in their system while the two others had taken

Xanax, which is typically prescribed for managing anxiety disorders.

In all four cases, the medical

examiner noted that consumption of the prescription medication "contributed

to their death," Jordan said.

Four overdoses in this time

span is an unusually high amount for Fayette County, Jordan added. Although

Jordan wouldn't provide more specific details on each case, he said

the victims were:

- A 22-year-old man found

dead in his house in Tyrone Dec. 20;

- A 22-year-old college

student found dead in his parent's south Fayette home Jan. 3;

- A 39-year-old mother

of two small children found dead in her south Fayette home Jan. 5;

- A 15-year-old Sandy

Creek High School student found dead at her residence Sept. 13.

Jordan urged caution when taking

prescription medication.

"Just because it comes

in a prescription bottle doesn't make it any less lethal," Jordan

said.

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