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Police suspect drugs may be responsible for the death of one man and the hospitalisation two others after a night out at a Levin hotel last week.
Joshua Waho, a 35-year-old father of eight, died after being taken to Palmerston North Hospital with two friends, aged 36 and 39, early on Friday morning.
Detective Sergeant Grayson Joines said today the men appeared to have taken something and had an adverse reaction. An autopsy had ruled out food poisoning, and alcohol was an unlikely cause of death.
"I'm not sure whether we're looking at party drugs being ingested, or illicit drugs or prescription medicine," he said.
He said police were awaiting toxicology tests results, but that could take weeks rather than days.
The three men had been socialising at a Levin hotel early on Friday morning. They were rushed to Palmerston North Hospital after they collapsed into unconsciousness.
Mr Waho did not recover consciousness and died.
"I'm fairly certain all three voluntarily ingested some type of medicine. It wasn't necessarily illicit, but it's more than likely that it was."
Mr Joines said police had spoken to the survivors who were now recovering after being unconscious for about three or four hours.
"They weren't feeling too well when we spoke to them, but they both gave us information about the availability of some substances at the hotel."
Mr Waho's death has been referred to the coroner, and further investigations would take place after the dead man's family had held his tangi, Mr Joines said. Police would also be viewing security camera footage.
- NZPA
