Butler police say a man and woman found dead early Thursday morning inside an apartment on North McKean Street likely died of drug overdoses.

The deaths bring to three the number of apparent fatal overdoses in the city since Monday.

Autopsies were planned today for the latest victims — Patrick J. Pickering, 37, of Butler and his friend Christina M. Cloherty, 40, who has no known address.

The pair died at the apartment of Pickering's younger brother on the 400 block of North McKean Street, said Butler police Deputy Chief David Adam.

The brother told police that he last saw the victims alive about 9 p.m. Wednesday when he and his wife left the home. When he returned, he found them on the floor in a bedroom scattered with drug paraphernalia.

He believed they were dead, Adam said, because they were “cold to the touch.” Both appeared to be in the early stages of rigor mortis, investigators said, indicating they had been dead for several hours.

Police found several empty stamp bags of suspected heroin on the bedroom dresser. The bags were white and had no makings on them, Adam said.

Also seized from the dresser was a hypodermic needle and spoon.

Butler County Coroner William Young pronounced Pickering and Cloherty dead.

On Monday, city police and emergency responders discovered the body of 23-year-old Kourtney D. Grey in her one-room Highland Avenue apartment. A 911 call alerted authorities of the death about 10:15 p.m.

“She was found in a kneeling position with her head down in the bed,” Adam said.

Butler County Deputy Coroner Larry Barr pronounced her dead shortly after 10:30 p.m.

Police said they turned up a needle under Grey's right arm. They also found an empty, plain white stamp bag of suspected heroin with two razor blades on it, and a spoon with residue.

An autopsy was later performed. A cause of death is pending toxicology results.

Adam said all three suspected overdoses remain under investigation.