Police investigate party-related deaths

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Two more bodies were found in Perryville Wednesday, a day after the Perry County Sheriff's Department and Perryville police found the body of Dwayne Alan Hill in a field near the Perryville Industrial Park. According to Perry County Coroner Herb Miller, the three deaths appear to be related, and all appear to be drug overdoses.

Found Wednesday at residences were Dean Novack, 19, and Michelle Welty, 35, both of Perryville. Miller said that all three had been at the same party over the weekend where police believe they obtained the drugs. The three reportedly knew each other, Miller said, but are not related.

Perryville police chief Keith Tarrillion said because the case remains under investigation, police are not releasing the location of the party. He said the deaths are not necessarily directly a result of having taken the drugs at that gathering.

"They did not die from taking drugs that night," Tarrillion said. "It was drugs they received from that party, and two days later they were found at their residences."

Tarrillion said investigators are looking into whether or not the drugs were tainted. He confirmed that the drugs found in the bodies of Hill and Novack were primarily cocaine and Oxycontin.He said the preliminary reports show that other drugs were involved but it will take further toxicology studies to pinpoint those other substances. Complete toxicology reports won't be available for several weeks, he said.

An autopsy on Welty has not been completed. Miller said he suspects that she overdosed also. Miller expected to have more results from her autopsy today.

Miller said he pronounced Novack dead at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday after family members called police when they could not wake him up. Novack had been sleeping on a couch in his home on Big Springs Boulevard in Perryville, the coroner said.

Miller said he pronounced Welty dead at 1:15 p.m. Her boyfriend reportedly found her in the bathroom of her apartment in the Feltz Apartments in Perryville.

Miller said he would caution anyone who attended the same party as these three people to seek medical attention as a precaution. Tarrillion said that investigators hope to make some arrests once they find out where the drugs came from and who is responsible for distributing them.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160