First person among six dead from Class A drugs in Essex is named as friends launch fundraiser for memorial
The first person among six people killed in Essex after taking Class A drugs has been named.
Cian Daly, 20, from Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, was described as a “great friend who didn’t have a bad bone in his body.
Grieving friends have launched a fund to buy a memorial bench for Cian and have already raised £2,325.
Others are arranging a rideout on August 10 in memory of the 20-year-old, who they say: “loved his bikes and cars.”
Organising the event on Facebook, they said: “Cars, bikes, and everyone else welcome. Let’s pack it out for him 💙”
Cian is one of six people within a six-mile radius in Essex who are believed to have died after taking Class A drugs.
A woman in her 30s was found dead in Southend on Sunday is now part of the investigation, while two other women and three men within a six-mile radius died on Monday and Tuesday in Canvey Island and Benfleet.
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Essex Police said the deaths all happened in the people’s own homes and they believe their deaths are linked to Class A drugs, though they said it was too early to say whether the substances were injected, smoked or taken as pills.
Speaking before the Southend death was linked, Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Jennings said: "All of the deaths occurred in their own homes, which is an unusual element because your own home is normally a safe environment and the circumstances suggest that they weren't able to call for assistance.
We are continuing to work with partners in health @CPRCCG @SouthendCCG & local authorities @SouthendBC @Essex_CC following a series of drug-related deaths. Please call us on 101 with any info. #ProtectingEssex More here: https://t.co/lnlYoTVIPI
— Essex Police (@EssexPoliceUK) July 31, 2019
He said: "We haven't yet got a timeline of when they might have taken the drugs and at which point they passed away.”
He warned against describing the drugs as a "bad batch”, saying: "Descriptions of 'contaminated' or 'dodgy' may make drug users think slightly differently and it could be that the purity of the drug has caused this.
"I don't know at all, but until we know for sure what the substance is, we don't want to give out a message that there's a contaminated sample out there or a dodgy sample as it may not be the case.
"It may well be that the samples that they ordinarily take are the ones that caused this as well."
