FACT CHECK: Did Five Kids Die In A Single Day From Fentanyl-Laced Marijuana In Wichita, Kansas?

Anna MockMay 2, 2022

An image shared on Facebook claims five kids from Wichita, Kansas died from fentanyl-laced marijuana overdoses in a single day in April.

Verdict: False

There is no evidence to suggest five children died in a single day after overdosing on fentanyl-laced marijuana. A spokesperson for the Wichita Police Department (WPD) stated the department had no knowledge of such an incident.

Fact Check:

Fentanyl is a growing problem in Wichita, according to local news reports. A pound of the drug was seized by Sedgwick County law enforcement in March, according to WIBW, a news station in Topeka, Kansas. The WPD also recently discovered 7,000 fentanyl pills during a March 28 traffic stop, local Wichita news outlet KWCH reported.

An April 13 Facebook post claims that five children died in a single day after overdosing on fentanyl-laced marijuana. The post features a screen grab of another Facebook post that reads in part, “Got to work in Wichita today to find out 5 kids have died from Fentanyl laced Marijuana here and surrounding areas yesterday!” (RELATED: Do 61 Percent Of Overdose Deaths In Delaware Involve Fentanyl?)

There are no mentions of the purported string of adolescent overdose deaths on the WPD’s verified social media accounts. Neither WPD nor the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office has released a statement about the alleged deaths on their respective websites. There are likewise no credible news reports about the purported overdoses.

“We haven’t received any information to be able to verify that claim,” a spokesperson for Wichita Police Department said in an email to Check Your Fact.

The Sedgwick County Police Department suspects that one teenager had died as the result of an April 13 fentanyl overdose, according to KWCH. While the KWCH article mentions a rise in fentanyl-related overdoses across the nation, it makes no mention of five children dying from overdoses on the same day in Wichita.