SOMERVILLE, Tenn. — Two Fayette County, Tennessee, high school students are dead and another fighting for their life after a possible drug overdose just hours before a graduation ceremony at Fayette-Ware High School Tuesday, the Fayette County Sheriff's Office said.
The Fayette County Sheriff's Office said they are investigating the incident as a drug overdose, and aren't releasing additional information at this time.
Two teenage girls died while a third was taken to the hospital in critical condition. That student is now stable.
Chief Deputy Ray Garcia said Fayette county has been dealing with drug overdoses for a while now.
"We know that across the nation, we have seen overdoses spike and the numbers have increased greatly, we've experienced that same phenomenon here in Fayette County," Chief Deputy Ray Garcia said. "And for it to happen to juveniles here at a school and on graduation night, that is going to be very devastating to the community, to the students, to the teachers, to the faculty."
The high school's graduation ceremony, planned for Tuesday at 7 p.m., continued as planned.
"Fayette-Ware is the only public high school in Fayette County so all the students that attend public school all filter in from all corners of the county to this one school," Garcia said. "So it is a situation where most all the students know each other or at least are familiar with each other, so that has an impact."
The names of the individuals involved have not been released as they are all minors.
This is a developing story. We are working to learn more information, and will post updates here as we get them.
If you are seeking help in your fight against drug abuse, you can contact the 24/7 Tennessee Statewide Crisis Line by calling 1-855-CRISIS-1 (1-855-274-7471).
For those living in the Mid-South, Hearts in Hands, a peer support centers, is located at 306 Midland St. in Sommerville, Tennessee.
For information about other peer support centers in Tennessee, click here.