Indictments handed down as police search for suspects in 2 deadly overdoses, robberies in Manhattan
NEW YORK -- A grand jury has indicted two men in the deadly drugging robbery patterns in Manhattan and police are searching for those suspects.
Sources told CBS2 on Thursday the indictments are part of two different patterns across the city where thieves are targeting people in bars, giving them drugs laced with fentanyl and then stealing their phones while they're incapacitated to drain their mobile banking apps.
Police believe this has been going on for months, with dozens of victims, including least three who have overdosed and died.
"The real work is just beginning," said Linda Clary, mother of victim John Umberger.
READ MORE: Police seek suspects in 2 deadly overdoses, robberies in Manhattan
Clary has been doggedly seeking justice for her son, since the 33-year-old died after a night out in Hell's Kitchen last year.
Earlier this month, police ruled his death and the death of 25-year-old Julio Ramirez to be homicides. Investigators believe they were each drugged in a robbery attempt.
"People going out to nightlife venues, victimizing people, drugging them or taking advantage of them when they're very intoxicated, trying to rob them, access their bank accounts. This is a growing category of crime that people need to be aware of," City Councilman Erik Bottcher said.
Sources told CBS2 the people indicted in connection with the death of Umberger and Ramirez are just one of two different groups running similar schemes.
Investigators believe the other ring could be behind the death of 35-year-old Katie Gallagher, a Manhattan fashion designer who overdosed on the Lower East Side last year.
"I used to go out alone a lot more. I love sitting at bars, meeting new people, and as soon as I heard about that I started doing that a lot less," Hell's Kitchen resident Jeremy Crittenden said.
Sources said authorities are still adding victims to the pattern as they conduct more toxicology tests.
When asked what she would want to say to the two people who have been indicted after they are apprehended, Clary said, "That is something I have struggled with for quite some time," adding, "I just don't want them to hurt anymore people. That's it, at the end of the day."
Police are tying victims to the two patterns by the unique drug mixture in their systems. Authorities believe more indictments will soon be coming down the pipeline.
