Deputy Editor
A popular Indian travel influencer who died at Wynn Las Vegas in November had a fatal combination of fentanyl and alcohol in his system, according to a coroner’s report.
Anunay Sood, 32, built a huge social media following, including a reported 1.5 million on Instagram, with his travel videos. He documented his trips to countries like Switzerland, Italy, and Singapore, as well as various locations in his home country.
Forbes India had named him one of its Top 100 Digital Stars for three consecutive years.
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Sood’s Death at Wynn Las Vegas
Sood died on a trip to Las Vegas, while staying at the Wynn and attending a car show. His family announced his death on Instagram, but details were scarce in the days immediately after his body was found on Nov. 4.
A couple of weeks later, on Nov. 17, a local news station reported that police suspected a drug overdose had caused Sood’s death. They had made no arrests pertaining to the matter.
According to the report, Sood and two women had been partying, and they’d attempted to purchase cocaine from a man on the casino floor. They fell asleep after ingesting the drug, which police found and characterized as “an unknown white substance.”
When the women woke up, they found Sood unresponsive, and efforts to revive him failed.
More than a month later, the toxicology report confirmed Sood had died with fentanyl and alcohol in his system.
Drug Overdoses Remain a Big Problem in Nevada
In the past several years, fentanyl has become one of the leading causes of death for young people in the United States. The powerful drug, which is about 100 times more potent than morphine according to the DEA, is often mixed with other drugs such as heroin, meth, and cocaine.
Some sources estimate it is responsible for 70% of contemporary overdose deaths in the U.S.
Nevada in particular has been struggling with the issue. A local NPR report from earlier this year stated that Nevada has the third-highest overdose increase rate in the nation, year over year. That stands in stark contrast with most of the country, which saw an overall decrease of about 25%.
Image credit: Jim G/Wikimedia Commons (license)
