Investigators in New Mexico are struggling to identify a mysterious substance that may have contributed to the deaths of three people and the quarantine of more than a dozen first responders. The incident occurred on Wednesday when first responders rushed to a suspected drug overdose in Mountainair, a rural town east of Albuquerque.
Upon arrival, they found four people unresponsive inside a home. Three of them died, and the fourth is being treated at an Albuquerque hospital. Some first responders began coughing, vomiting and experiencing dizziness, but the cause remains unclear. Nearly two dozen people, mostly responders, were decontaminated and checked by medical workers, with most discharged after showing no symptoms.
Mountainair Mayor Peter Nieto reported seeing drugs at the home and ruled out carbon monoxide or natural gas as possible causes. New Mexico State Police spokesperson Wilson Silver stated there is no threat to the public and that the substance is not believed to be airborne. Test results are still pending.
New Mexico had the fourth-highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2024, with 775 deaths, according to CDC data. Residents of Mountainair, a town of fewer than 1,000 people, have expressed frustration over drug use in the community.
