Tainted Drink Blamed For Concert Death

Tyler Fox Viscardi of Raleigh, North Carolina, was pronounced dead at a hospital Aug. 1.

Relatives told WJZ-TV Viscardi, who was attending the concert with friends, “was the victim of a terrible mishap. . . . According to his close college friend who was with him, the afternoon was hot and he drank water that was given to him by others who were in the area. We believe that this contained a substance, unbeknownst to him, to which he had a toxic reaction.”

A 17-year-old male also died during the festival of a suspected overdose, police said, and almost 20 other concertgoers were taken to nearby hospitals for drug-related symptoms.

Police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn told the Washington Post the concert deaths were “not something we typically see in Howard County.”

“We will be talking with [Merriweather Post Pavilion] and others about preventing this type of situation in the future,” she said.

However, a spokeswoman for venue operator IMP said in a statement to the paper that proper security precautions were taken for the festival, but “it is unfortunately difficult to protect fans from their own actions, particularly if committed before they enter the venue.

“Measures at the event included searching each patron prior to entering the venue and denying access to anyone demonstrating objective signs they were under the influence,” the statement said. “Backpacks were not permitted, purses and string bags were searched and each patron received a pat-down search by security. When illegal substances were found, the patron and the substance were turned over to police. Patrons were permitted to bring in an empty water bottle so they could refill it free of charge. No other beverages or food were permitted to be brought in, including candy, gum and breath strips.”