Police Photo Shows 4-Year-Old In Car With Unconscious Adults Who Overdosed

LIVERPOOL, Oh. (CBS) - Law enforcement officials hope the shocking reality of drug abuse will help to fight the heroin epidemic in one Ohio city.

Officers in the City of East Liverpool posted images to social media of a man and woman who had reportedly overdosed in a vehicle, with a stunned-looking four-year-old boy sitting in the backseat.

The images tell a frightening story. Police say an officer watched a Ford Explorer weave erratically and stop.

James Acord was found impaired in the driver's seat. He told police he was taking his unconscious passenger, Rhonda Pasek, to the hospital, and then lost consciousness himself. They both received Narcan and regained consciousness. The child was identified as Pasek's son.

"We feel it necessary to show the other side of this horrible drug. We feel we need to be a voice for the children caught up in this horrible mess. This child can't speak for himself but we are hopeful his story can convince another user to think twice about injecting this poison while having a child in their custody," the post reads.

Police acknowledged that the images might be disturbing.

"We are well aware that some may be offended by these images and for that we are truly sorry, but it is time that the non-drug using public sees what we are now dealing with on a daily basis."

Acord and Pasek face various criminal charges, including child-endangerment.