By Katy Savage
Police are investigating an incident at the Killington Motel after two people were found dead of an apparent overdose on Saturday, Sept. 17 and a third person was revived with Narcan.
Police said Darlene Parker, 56, of Swanton and Thomas Dodge, 53, of Montpelier, were staying in the same hotel room and were found dead on Saturday. Investigators found evidence suggesting the deaths were caused by accidental overdoses and did not appear suspicious.
Police said a third person at the motel was revived with Narcan after overdosing just hours earlier in a neighboring motel room.
Police are not releasing the name of the third person, but Killington Police Chief Whit Montgomery said it was a man in his mid-50s. It was unclear if the three people were connected to each other. Montogermey did not know why they were in town, but said they were here for only one or two nights.
Montgomery said he received the first call to the motel around 4:15 on Saturday.
“The subject started coming to shortly after Narcan was administered,” he said. After the man was transported to Rutland Regional Medical Center, Montgomery was dispatched to the motel again at 6:45 p.m. Montgomery said Parker and Dodge were dead when he arrived.
“At that point, nothing more could be done,” Montgomery said.
Police are investigating what drugs were used. Montgomery suggested it could have been a recreational drug. “You never know what it’s going to be laced with,” he said.
A person who answered the phone at Killington Motel on Monday, Sept. 19 declined to answer questions about the incidents.
Montgomery said Parker and Dodge checked into the motel on Saturday and the third person checked in on Friday.
“It had nothing to do with the hotel,” Montgomery said. “We don’t have calls like that at that business. It’s not related to anything the hotel did or didn’t do.”
Montgomery confirmed the three people were not part of the state voucher program, which allows homeless people to stay at hotels.
“This stuff (usually) doesn’t happen up here,” Montgomery said.
