Man's death ruled fentanyl overdose
A man whose body was found in the parking lot of a downtown Butler bank May 7 died of an overdose of fentanyl, according to city police.
The cause of Jonathan Fichter's death comes in the wake of recently released toxicology reports.
An autopsy of Fichter, 21, of Butler was conducted the same day he was found, but it did not determine how he died.
Authorities have ruled the death accidental, but the case is not closed.
“It's still under investigation ” police Capt. Jim Hollobaugh said Tuesday. “We're looking into who provided him with the (drug).”
Police said a passer-by came upon Fichter's body shortly after 4 a.m. on the side of the lot of Citizen's Bank on South Main Street.
Fichter lived with his wife on North Cliff Street.
Foul play was not immediately suspected, according to investigators, but it appeared the body had scuff marks, including on the arms.
Officers were able to tentatively identify Fichter from his wallet. His cell phone was also found near his body.
On the remains, police said, were between several and a dozen plain white stamp bags commonly used to package heroin.
But the bags, according to results of testing by the state police crime lab, contained only the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
Hollobaugh said that as part of the investigation, police have scoured Fichter's phone records, and are interviewing people identified from the phone search.
