COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Police in Commerce City are investigating after five adults were found dead inside an apartment unit Sunday afternoon. A sixth adult and a 4-month-old child survived.
Officers and medical personnel from the South Adams County Fire Department responded to the apartment complex in the 14400 block of East 104th Avenue around 3:45 p.m. on a report of several unconscious people, according to a news release from the Commerce City Police Department.
The department said officers found the five adults, three women and two men, deceased inside the unit at North Range Crossings Apartments by the time they arrived. The sixth adult and the infant were inside the residence but managed to make it out, according to police.
Police said Sunday substances that can "be described as illicit narcotics" were located in the apartment. They said no hazardous gas was detected inside the unit.
"If it was drugs, no one was able to get to a phone to call 911 for a medical emergency," said Clint Nichols, Commerce City chief of police. "My understanding is the infant is doing fine, just the routine medical check-up."
On Monday, 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason said the five adults likely died as a result of an unintentional fentanyl overdose.
Nichols said the adult female who made it out alive is 'lucid' and 'talking with police.'
"There are some people dead inside an apartment and an infant lived," Nichols said. "I hope the parents were not in there, but I’ve been doing this long enough – I would probably be safe to suggest the parents probably were inside, and so for the infant, that’s going to be a long time without parents."
Nichols said the likelihood of drug use was high.
"If it is going to be illicit drugs, they were very, very bad," he said.
A friend of the victims identified them for Denver7, but out of respect for the family, we are not releasing names until confirmed by Commerce City police.
The friend did talk on the condition of anonymity.
"They were awesome people," the man said. "I've known them for 2 1/2 years and they were awesome people, so this is devastating for the community. It's a terrible situation. Rest in peace."
Commerce City Police Department detectives are on the scene along with crime scene investigators and victim advocates, the release said.
The department said more information will be released as details become available. The identities of the deceased will be released at a later time.
Denver7 reporter Russell Haythorn contributed to this report.