POLICE: 2 DEAD AS NEW REPORTS POUR IN

Two women from the Chicago Housing Authority's Dearborn Homes who
reportedly died Saturday night were among more than a dozen people
from the South Side -- including a 70-year-old woman -- who were
hospitalized over a six-hour span after apparently from taking bad
heroin, police said.

Reports of people overdosing on the bad drugs have been "pouring in"
throughout the late night and early morning hours Sunday, one police
official said.

The deaths of two women in their 40s happened Saturday afternoon in
the South Side Dearborn Homes, which spans the area roughly from 27th
Street through 30th Street and State, Federal and Dearborn Streets,
according to Prairie District Officer Terrance Howard, who said
police were notified Saturday night. The women who died were taken to
Mercy Hosptial and Medical Center. The deaths could not be confirmed
immediately from the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

"It happened Saturday afternoon," said Howard. "Two are confirmed
dead and there may be more pending," Howard said. "Four or five are
hospitalized in pretty bad shape," Howard added.

All victims probably bought the drugs from the same place, and may
have accepted free samples similar to the recent cases of free
samples on the West Side, said Howard. The Mickey Cobras street
gang's "turf" is the Dearborn Homes, and police believe they are
behind the distribution of the drugs, said Howard.

The four or five that were sickened may have overdosed, and were
hospitalized at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County and Mercy
Hospital and Medical Center, said Howard.

"We had this happen earlier, from the same area, it flared up about a
month ago and then it went away," said Howard. "It's flared up again."

Wentworth Area Sgt. Kevin Duffin said as of 2:30 a.m. Sunday, he's
seen ten reports of adults hospitalized, apparently from tainted
heroin. One of the hospitalized is a 70-year-old woman, who is at
Provident Hospital of Cook County.

The ten people range in age from 35 years old to 70 years old, said Duffin.

Three are at Provident, six are at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center
one is at University of Chicago Hospitals, said Duffin. All
reportedly were still there as of about 3 a.m., and there are no
reported deaths, he added.

"They have all been sickened, no one has died," Duffin said.

Two collapsed on the 4200 block of S. Michigan Ave., one was down on
E. 35th Street, two on the 2900 block of S. State Street, the
70-year-old woman was taken from the 4200 block of S. Oakenwald Ave.,
one was on the 500 block of E. 36th Street, one was from the 2900
block of S. State Street and one was from the 5600 block of S.
Indiana Ave., said Duffin. He could not confirm if any were from the
Dearborn Homes. A tenth address was not immediately available.

"This all started around 9 p.m. Saturday," said Duffin. "They're just
pouring in."