Multnomah County Death Traced to Xylazine, aka Tranq

It’s the second time the county has detected xylazine, and the first since 2021.

SPECIAL DELIVERIES A postal worker wheels mail along a largely deserted Southwest Washington Street. (Jordan Hundelt)

Late last week, a county epidemiologist detected the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine in a toxicology report from a death last September, WW has just learned.

It’s only the second confirmed report of xylazine being found in Multnomah County, and the first since 2021. The drug is known on the street as “tranq,” and is commonly found cut with fentanyl on the East Coast and in other major drug markets.

The Multnomah County Health Department informed WW of the report this morning. The department said the report had been delayed due to “increased Medical Examiner caseloads” and had been “just finalized.”

In October, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued a warning that xylazine, typically mixed with other drugs like fentanyl or heroin, was a “growing threat.” It can increase the risk of overdosing, and when injected can lead to tissue damage requiring amputation.

“To be clear, these two cases were not a cluster of related deaths. With the few sporadic cases/positive samples we are aware of, the xylazine involved in these deaths may have been purchased outside of Multnomah County,” county spokeswoman Sarah Dean tells WW.

Dean says the department plans to issue a “clinician alert” later today. “The county continues to pursue avenues for more real-time toxicology reporting,” she added.




Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.