POLICE: DRUGS MADE AT HOME

Homemade drugs received through the mail were the apparent cause of last
weekend's drug overdose death of an 18-year-old Hancock man, state police
at Sidney said Tuesday.

An autopsy performed Monday on Phillip R. Conklin revealed that the cause
of death was the result of multi-organ system failure because of a drug
overdose, troopers said.

Hancock police went to Conklin's house on Saturday at about 9:30 p.m. after
they received a report of two people exhibiting symptoms of an apparent
drug overdose, police said.

Conklin was taken by ambulance to Binghamton General Hospital, where he was
pronounced dead Sunday morning, and another man, Matthew F. Allen, 20, also
of Hancock, was taken to Delaware Valley Hospital, where he was released
Monday.

A quantity of clear capsules containing an unknown white powder were
recovered during the investigation, police said.

While a drug analysis has yet to be conducted, police said, an
investigation has revealed that Conklin and Allen had acquired research
chemicals through the mail, troopers said. It was also revealed that the
men got information on the Internet about the production of "homemade" drugs.

The chemicals are not classified as controlled substances, police said.

An investigation is continuing. Anyone with information about the case is
asked to call the state police at Binghamton at 775-1241 or the Hancock
Police Department at 637-3432.