INDIANAPOLIS — The Marion County Prosecutor's Office has filed three dealing resulting in death cases within a week.
Investigators say it's a major push to get dealers off Indianapolis streets and solve these cases, which they say are some of the hardest to prosecute.
Last August, Juan Vasquez says he found his cousin and niece unresponsive on their front porch.
"As soon as I walked out, I noticed they were gone," said Vasquez. "We called him Boo, but his name was Gregory Vasquez. He was more of a brother than a cousin. The other one was Patricia. We called her Trish."
Investigators tracked down the alleged dealer, Alfonso Suarez, through surveillance videos.
The Marion County Prosecutor's Office has charged him with two counts of dealing resulting in death.
Shemika Campbell and William Warren have also been charged for the alleged deaths of three other people.
"Two of these people are responsible for multiple deaths, meaning more than one person lost their lives. The message to the community is drugs being sold have never been more dangerous and deadly," said Marion County Prosecutor, Ryan Mears.
Since the dealing in a controlled substance resulting in death law went into effect in 2018, there have been 16 cases filed in Marion County, compared to the hundreds of Hoosiers who've died from overdoses.
The coroner's office said in 2022, more than 850 people died from overdoses. Most of those were fentanyl related.
In 2023, the county saw a more than a 100 person decrease in overdose deaths, with 701.
"At the end of the day, people are dying. People are dying everyday in Indianapolis and Marion County because of overdose deaths. We want to to get in front of that," said Mears.
Investigators say the biggest challenge is finding evidence that links a dealer to the drug or drugs listed in a person's toxicology report.
"The other part is these cases take time," said Mears.
Meanwhile, Vasquez says three cases filed within a week is encouraging for families waiting for justice.
"They have to be held accountable and I think for the longest time, people out here just thought they could get away with it," said Vasquez.
