HYDE PARK — The death of a 25-year-old man that caused the evacuation of a Hyde Park apartment building and a response from hazmat teams has been ruled an accident, but many questions remain unanswered after a cache of powerful opioids were found in the apartment.
Zachary Padove was found dead in his apartment on the 1200 block of East 53rd Street on April 26 after other tenants in the building noticed an alarming smell and called the Chicago Fire Department.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday said Padove’s death was an accidental overdose and reported that a laundry list of powerful drugs were found in his body.
It’s still not clear whether the odd smell that prompted the fire department to bring in the hazmat team was from the chemicals found in Padove’s apartment or some of the hobbies he was known for, like homebrewing and fermenting.
Police said Monday that after an investigation they believe some of the chemicals found in the apartment were used to manufacture narcotics, but officials have determined his death was non-criminal. Police did not provide any additional information on how the chemicals found in Padove’s apartment were acquired.
A mix of 10 drugs, many powerful opioids and other types of painkillers, were found in Padoves’ body, according to a toxicology report from the Medical Examiner.
At least four of the drugs are related to or are used to make fentanyl, a powerful painkiller that is often mixed with heroin and has been linked to 44 overdose deaths this year.
No “street drugs,” such as heroin, were reported found. Police declined to describe the “drug paraphernalia” found in the apartment.
Some of the drugs are popular in a designer drug subculture, such as kratom, a plant used in Southeast Asia for its supposed pain relief effects. Other drugs found are known to have sedative or hallucinogenic properties or are sometimes used to manage the symptoms of withdrawal from opioids.
Police said their investigation is now closed.
