In May, members of St. John's United Church of Christ of Evans City displayed 74 crosses on its lawn to commemorate the overdose deaths in the county in 2016.

It's only been a couple of months, but law enforcement and health officials are reporting encouraging news in the opioid crisis in Butler County.

As of this week, there only have been three confirmed fatalities in 2018 that were caused by drug toxicity, according to the Butler County Coroner's Office.

Comparatively, 15 people died of overdoses in January and February last year.

Last year, the county set a record when 92 people died from drug overdoses. In 2016 the county reported 74 overdose deaths.

Tim Fennell, detective with the Butler County Drug Task Force, said that only one of the three fatalities was caused by fentanyl, a powerful painkiller often mixed with heroin or other drugs.

Law enforcement officials and Butler County Coroner William Young III cited fentanyl as the main culprit behind the surge in overdose deaths here last year.

So far in 2018 one person has died of toxicity from cocaine and several types of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, while another died of buprenorphine toxicity, according to reports filed by Young's office.

Buprenorphine is a less powerful opioid that is prescribed to treat opioid addiction.

Officials said they are optimistic about the lack of overdoses, though it is unclear why the fatalities have dropped off.

“It is absolutely good news,” Fennell said.

To find out more, read Sunday's Butler Eagle.