Barb Walsh, Executive Director of Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina, fights to save lives and get justice for those killed by fentanyl poisoning. Joining Barb in the fight are Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina members Michelle Murdock and Betsy Ballard Moore.
There are two episodes being aired, Part 1 is airing January 11th, Part 2 will air one week later, January 18.
Tina and Tom Johnson have brought a federal lawsuit against Sheriff Brian Chism and several other law enforcement officers. They’re alleging that the department is responsible for the death of their daughter Brittany Johnson. WHQR’s Nikolai Mather sat down with news director Ben Schachtman to discuss the details of this case.
Ben Schachtman: Nikolai — thanks for joining us. So the plaintiffs in this lawsuit are Tina and Tom Johnson. You’ve reported on story before: remind people who they are and what’s the latest.
Nikolai Mather: Yeah, so, the Johnsons are a married couple from Supply. They lost their daughter Brittany Johnson to a meth overdose in 2022. Ever since then, they’ve been asking the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office to share the findings of its investigation into her death. Now, they’re suing several law enforcement officers, saying that they should be held responsible for her death.
BS: So who specifically are they suing?
NM: Four of the defendants are named. There’s Alexander Melvin, who is a deputy for BCSO’s drug enforcement unit; Timmie Clemmons, who is a BCSO detective; Sheriff Brian Chism, and Alice Camden Alessandra, who was Brittany Johnson’s parole officer at the time of her death. The Johnsons are also suing 5 John Does, saying that because they don’t yet know everyone involved in their daughter’s death, they’re using those names as placeholders. They’re also suing Brunswick County as a whole.
BS: Gotcha. So what’s the Johnsons’ case for this as a wrongful death?
NM: Well, to understand that, you have to understand the rocky relationship they have with BCSO.
After investigating, the sheriff’s office declared her cause of death to be accidental drug overdose, with no foul play suspected. But the Johnsons think that’s not the full story. Like, after her death, they found a Bluetooth connection in their daughter’s car labeled “BCSO Surveillance Unit 098.” The sheriff’s office told them they had no idea where it came from, but the Johnsons think it suggests their daughter was a confidential informant for the department.
They’ve asked the sheriff for answers. BCSO told them their daughter wasn’t a CI, but didn’t say whether her friends were. And in a lot of instances, the office has clammed up entirely, saying they need a court order for more info.
BS: So, to be clear, these allegations are things BCSO has disputed or declined to comment on?
NM: Right. These allegations are based on the Johnsons’ own findings, in their own private investigation. And they now say that they have reason to believe their daughter was a confidential informant for the sheriff. Brittany had previously struggled with drug addiction, and her family says putting her in that position ultimately contributed to her relapse and to her death.
BS: I see. So this is a pretty big step – a federal lawsuit is no joke. But I was curious as to whether they were pursuing any criminal charges here, in addition to these civil charges.
NM: That process is a little different. You can ask the FBI or the SBI to look into a case. But ultimately, criminal investigations are up to those guys, whereas anyone can file a civil lawsuit. You’ve been covering the courts longer than me, Ben — is it typical for a civil lawsuit to be filed when there isn’t a criminal investigation?
BS: It really depends on the case. When it comes to law enforcement, there might be a lot of things that aren’t illegal but constitute policy violations. That could involve a review by state authorities — but it wouldn’t be for criminal charges. Also, it’s worth noting that in North Carolina, as in many states, the standard of proof for crimes like involuntary manslaughter — or negligent homicide — is going to be more intense than proving liability in a civil case.
NM: For sure.
BS: So, what’s next for this case?
NM: Well, I asked BCSO some questions about this lawsuit. Glenn Emery, an attorney with the office, said they couldn’t really comment on an ongoing lawsuit.
There’s not a trial date quite yet. The plaintiffs will have to respond, and will likely ask to dismiss the case. But if it stays in court, there will be discovery — meaning the Johnsons will have to produce their evidence, and the Sheriff’s Office will likely have to turn over some documents as well. If the case proceeds, there’s also a good chance some of the people they mention in the suit will be brought in for sworn depositions or asked to sign affidavits.
BS: That was WHQR’s rural reporter Nikolai Mather. Nikolai, thanks for coming by.
When autopsy backlogs in North Carolina threatened Union County officers’ ability to prosecute drug overdose cases, they opened their own center to continue their yearslong drug purge amid state delays.
A temporary autopsy center that opened in the bottom of a Monroe hospital Dec. 17 is the ninth regional center in the state. It’s also one county’s latest attempt to combat two issues plaguing the state: drug deaths and autopsy delays.
The North Carolina General Assembly since its 2023 session has given Union County $22 million to open the South Piedmont Regional Autopsy Center under oversight from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The county soon hopes find a permanent building to better host eight more counties and get the proper accreditation to help with the toxicology reports backlog, too.
Autopsy and toxicology backlogs have been caused by increasing overdose deaths and too few forensic pathologists, a Charlotte Observer investigation revealed last year. They leave grieving families and investigating law enforcement waiting too long for answers.
For Union County, those delays were made worse when the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner moved Union County’s autopsies from Mecklenburg County — less than an hour away — to Wake County — about three hours away — in 2022.
The switch was supposed to help with backlogs, but transportation time coupled with the Raleigh center’s staffing shortages created more delays, said Tony Underwood, the chief deputy of operations with the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
Each Raleigh pathologist, the Observer previously reported, completes, on average, 557 autopsies each year. That’s more than twice the number recommended by a national accrediting group, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley previously told the Observer.
“Bottom line, plain and simple, the medical examination system is in crisis,” Kinsley said.
The Raleigh autopsy center told Underwood it does not “routinely do full autopsies in suspected drug overdose cases,” he said in an interview with the Observer.
Mecklenburg’s center did, Underwood said.
The change became a problem for Union County law enforcement.
The sheriff’s office and Union District Attorney Trey Robison were charging and prosecuting drug dealers who sold deadly substances to people even before a state law paved the way to do that.
A 2019 bill introduced a “death by distribution” charge to North Carolina, allowing dealers to be charged with killing someone by selling or giving them the drug that killed them. It is largely regarded as a “hard-to-prove” charge, but Union County is among the top counties pursuing and prosecuting it, according to nonprofit research by the Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina.
Union County, Underwood said, had been charging dealers with second-degree murder before “death by distribution” was introduced.
That meant Union County officers were routinely requesting autopsies and toxicology reports in almost every overdose case.
But in Raleigh, they sometimes needed to have “probable cause” that a crime was committed to request an autopsy, Underwood said. Toxicology reports, which show what substances were in a person’s system when they died, typically give probable cause.
But state toxicology reports are finished more slowly than autopsy reports, sometimes taking months or years to be completed.
In 2023 in Raleigh, the medical examiner’s office had just one forensic toxicologist to certify all drug casework, the Observer previously reported.
Union County’s temporary autopsy center is a step in the right direction, said Barb Walsh, the founder and executive director of Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina. But North Carolina really needs more toxicologists, she said.
Walsh, whose daughter died after unknowingly drinking from a water bottle that had fentanyl in it, had to wait five months to learn what killed her daughter in 2021.
“And I thought that was awful,” she said, “but I am consistently getting calls from families that are waiting 10 and 12 months.”
From 2019 to 2023, according to the state health department, North Carolina experienced a 26% increase in cases. That was “undoubtedly influenced by the 69% increase in suspected drug overdose cases,” spokesperson Hannah Jones wrote in an email.
“Another regional autopsy center is a welcome addition to the NC Medical Examiner System to help with the many cases that come through,” she wrote.
In 2025, Underwood said, the sheriff’s office is seeking accreditation to expand its toxicology lab — which is currently used to test blood from impaired drivers — to be able to test blood from those who died from an overdose or fentanyl poisoning.
The indictment, announced by U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina, includes 27 people from the Tar Heel State.
All but one of the defendants are already in custody. 18 of them will have their first court appearances in North Carolina on Tuesday or Wednesday. If convicted, they face up to life in prison for narcotics conspiracy and up to 20 years for money laundering conspiracy.
The charges of narcotics distribution conspiracy include fentanyl, an ongoing problem statewide.
“There is someone who has died from fentanyl in all 100 counties,” Barb Walsh said. “We connect the families to one another so they can gain support and understanding.”
“Killed by fentanyl in a water bottle in 2021. Took us five months to find out that fentanyl killed her. Took seven months to find out that it was the water bottle,” Walsh said. “We learned that it was killing a lot of North Carolinians and that these families, like myself, felt very alone, and we felt nobody really wanted to hear how or why our loved one died. Once they heard the word fentanyl, they were not interested anymore.”
Amid Tuesday’s arrests, overdoses are going down in the state. The latest CDC data predicts deaths have dropped about 30% from 2023 to 2024. Walsh says this is likely due to education and more distribution of naloxone, which she encourages everyone to keep on them, especially since many victims do not know they’re ingesting fentanyl.
“They think it’s adderall. They think they need to do well on the test, so they’ll take a pill from that they order off Snapchat, and it contains fentanyl, and they’re dead,” Walsh said. “That is how easy someone could die.”
She also wants people experiencing grief from a fentanyl death to know there are resources available.
“Once we are gathered together and understanding our grief together, we have chosen to redirect our pain into passion, and that is to save someone else’s life by educating them about fentanyl,” Walsh said.
The indictment, announced by U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina, includes 27 people from the Tar Heel State.
All but one of the defendants are already in custody. 18 of them will have their first court appearances in North Carolina on Tuesday or Wednesday. If convicted, they face up to life in prison for narcotics conspiracy and up to 20 years for money laundering conspiracy.
The charges of narcotics distribution conspiracy include fentanyl, an ongoing problem statewide.
“There is someone who has died from fentanyl in all 100 counties,” Barb Walsh said. “We connect the families to one another so they can gain support and understanding.”
“Killed by fentanyl in a water bottle in 2021. Took us five months to find out that fentanyl killed her. Took seven months to find out that it was the water bottle,” Walsh said. “We learned that it was killing a lot of North Carolinians and that these families, like myself, felt very alone, and we felt nobody really wanted to hear how or why our loved one died. Once they heard the word fentanyl, they were not interested anymore.”
Amid Tuesday’s arrests, overdoses are going down in the state. The latest CDC data predicts deaths have dropped about 30% from 2023 to 2024. Walsh says this is likely due to education and more distribution of naloxone, which she encourages everyone to keep on them, especially since many victims do not know they’re ingesting fentanyl.
“They think it’s adderall. They think they need to do well on the test, so they’ll take a pill from that they order off Snapchat, and it contains fentanyl, and they’re dead,” Walsh said. “That is how easy someone could die.”
She also wants people experiencing grief from a fentanyl death to know there are resources available.
“Once we are gathered together and understanding our grief together, we have chosen to redirect our pain into passion, and that is to save someone else’s life by educating them about fentanyl,” Walsh said.
Skateboard wheels skid in front of Sadie’s home, scraping, squeaking, then moving on. She paces between the porch rails, trying to peek at the face below the rider’s floppy hair.
Gwyneth Brown holds a photo of her son, Laird Ramirez, a 17-year-old Mecklenburg highschoolerwho died last July after taking a pressed pill that disguised fentanyl as a Percocet, his parents said. MELISSA MELVIN-RODRIGUEZ mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Is it Laird? Looks like Laird. Sounds like him, too, Gwyneth Brown imagines Sadie, her panting, shedding German Shepherd, is thinking.
“I’m with Sadie on this one,” said Brown. “I’m still waiting for him to come home.”
The pair have been waiting more than a year for one of the skaters to kick up their board and walk up the front steps. They never do. It’s never Laird.
Laird Ramirez, a 17-year-old Mecklenburg highschooler, skateboarder and wrestler, died last July after taking a pressed pill that disguised fentanyl — a lethal synthetic opioid — as a Percocet, his parents said.
The Charlotte Observer reported a year ago on accounts from parents and students of how those $7 pills infiltrated Hough High School and how drug incidents inside Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reached a 10-year high amidst Laird’s death.
Justice, Brown said, did not follow in his wake. While law enforcement and prosecutors say they’re aggressively going after people whose drugs lead to an overdose or fentanyl poisoning, some families say they haven’t seen that — and they’re searching for ways to cope once court dates pass.
Mecklenburg death by distribution cases
A man who was 21 in July 2023 was accused of selling Laird fentanyl and charged with death by distribution.
Brown says there was video footage of that drug deal. She says the drugs captured on camera killed her son. Half a pill was still in his wallet when police returned it to her.
Overdose or Murder, Part 1: The Worst Call A Parent Can Get
When someone dies from a drug overdose, who should we blame? And how should they be punished? In Part 1 of this special “Start Here” series, ABC’s Camille Petersen explores the nationwide rise of drug-induced homicide laws, which allow for criminal charges against whoever gave or sold someone the drugs that caused their death. She takes us to North Carolina, where two families grapple with the pain and promise of these new laws.
Overdose or Murder, Part 2: ‘Perfect’ Justice?
Some families believe drug-induced homicide laws are a powerful form of justice. Others worry the laws will do more harm than good. In Part 2 of this special “Start Here” series, ABC’s Camille Petersen explores the fierce debate over these laws and how they may continue shaping our response to overdose deaths.
Forsyth County leaders discussed plans for more than $36 million in opioid settlement money, $6 million of which is headed straight to Winston-Salem.
Forsyth County leaders discussed plans for more than $36 million in opioid settlement money, $6 million of which is headed straight to Winston-Salem.
This money will be stretched over an 18-year span; distribution of the funds started about two years ago.
During the information session that discussed this settlement money, county and municipal leaders discussed ways the community can partner together to combat the opioid crisis.
King Mayor Rick McCraw says one strategy they’re implementing is educating seniors on how to handle Narcan.
“Because a lot of seniors now are raising their grandchildren or maybe another senior mate that may have taken their medicine twice, and they need to have Narcan,” McCraw said. “To be educated to administer Narcan if it arises if you need to do that.”
But the focus is also on young people.
Cheryl Wilson lost her son to fentanyl in 2020. She says the next step in this conversation is erasing the stigma surrounding Narcan.
“It enables breathing, it enables life, it enables a family to remain intact,” Wilson said. “I distribute naloxone to anyone in need, sometimes who are not in need, because I feel like they might need it eventually. And it’s how I keep my son alive.”
County leaders say this opioid settlement has some limitations; it must be used for evidence-based treatment and prevention.
The opioid crisis has ravaged communities and families across the Carolinas. Watch this Queen City News special report on fentanyl in the Carolinas on YouTube.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — According to the CDC, tens of thousands of people die each year from fentanyl. It’s an issue affecting people across the country, and right here in North Carolina.
Heaven Leigh Nelson, a 24-year-old victim of fentanyl. (Photo courtesy Patricia Drewes)
Officials have been working on solutions for years to get fentanyl out of the state and country.
Just two milligrams of this powerful synthetic opioid is enough to kill the average person, and it does just that, every day.
“She loved everyone, and everyone loved her,” said Patricia Drewes of her daughter, Heaven Leigh Nelson. Drewes said in her daughter’s 24 years on this earth, she loved photography, the arts and people.
“She used to tell me all the time that there was no such thing as strangers. The strangers were friends that we just hadn’t met yet and that’s the way she lived her life,” she added.
Drewes said one day, Heaven went to a party.
“Something happened to her at a party—something tragic—and that set her into a tailspin. So, my daughter did suffer from a substance abuse disorder and that was caused by this tragic event,” Drewes said.
Her daughter went to a rehabilitation center in Kentucky for help.
“Someone brought her back home against my wishes. They had sent me a message saying they wanted to bring her back. You know, that she wanted to come home and I refused to bring her home because I wanted her to finish the program,” Drewes said.
She said Heaven came back home to Vance County, N.C. just before she received the call every parent fears.
“On a Monday night, January 28, 2019, and my fiancé answered the phone, and I heard him say oh God oh no,” Drewes said. “I think that my mind knew but my heart didn’t want to accept that it was about my daughter.”
Heaven passed away and it was not until months later that Drewes said she learned fentanyl took her daughter’s life. At the time, she says, she knew nothing about fentanyl.
“Absolutely nothing. No one was talking about illicit fentanyl in 2019. I had no clue,” said Drewes. “It felt like someone had punched me in my face and a gut punch because to me, illicit fentanyl, is, that’s a poisoning. That’s murder. And that’s what it felt like when I read the fentanyl. And I’m like, what is fentanyl?”
“A larger issue every single day”
Just the tiniest bit of fentanyl, two milligrams, is enough to kill the average person.
“It’s not just those that have a substance use disorder dying in this country. Everyone’s children are dying. We have infants, we have toddlers, we have teenagers, young adults, those with substance use disorder, and those without—dying. You know, it affects everyone,” said Drewes.
According to data from the North Carolina Division of Health and Human Services, in 2012, 140 people died from fentanyl state-wide. In 2021, the number skyrocketed to 3,117. The most-recent finalized data available comes from 2021, according to the department.
In Wake County in 2012, there was a more than 8,700% increase in deaths from fentanyl during that same time period.
In Durham County, there was an 8,900% increase in deaths from fentanyl from 2012 to 2021.
“Well, unfortunately, Mary, it’s becoming a larger issue every single day. And that’s not an over-exaggeration. For example, last year, my deputies seized approximately 3.7, little less than four grams of fentanyl. And earlier this year, we have seized over 300 grams of fentanyl,” said Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead.
At the sheriff’s office, evidence technicians handle suspected fentanyl in plastic bags. The “controlled contraband” was seized by the sheriff’s office. In the room with the evidence is Narcan, just in case.
“We’ve seized in pills. We’ve seized pill presses along with it. It’s been laced. Marijuana is being laced with fentanyl. So, we’re seeing it in unimaginable places,” said Sheriff Birkhead. “This is an industry that is making money. Fentanyl is far cheaper than any other drug to manufacture or to make these days. We know that this is not just a North Carolina or East Coast problem. The precursors for fentanyl come from China. The drugs are coming up from the southern border. They’re coming across from the northern border, and they’re just infiltrating cities all across the country. And unfortunately, it has made its way to Durham.”
Provisional data from the CDC states in 2023, there were an estimated 74,702 deaths from synthetic opioids, which it says is primarily fentanyl. That’s down slightly from 76,226 in 2022. Provisional data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services from June 2024 shows “fentanyl positive” deaths also trending downward. These are deaths where fentanyl was detected but the person’s official cause of death has not been ruled/determined.
Turning tragedy into advocacy
While there are reported decreases in deaths, Drewes tells us, there is so much work to do. After her daughter’s death, she founded ‘Forgotten Victims of North Carolina,” is one of two state representatives for the North Carolina chapter of Drug-Induced Homicide Foundation, and is the Vice President of ‘Lost Voices of Fentanyl.’
“We are the largest fentanyl advocacy group in the country. We host a national event every year at the national monument, and we march to the white house,” said Drewes.
Sometimes attending these advocacy events by her side is her daughter’s son. “She was my only child so he will be my only grandchild and that’s what I call him. He’s my gift from God and Heaven.”
(Photo courtesy Patricia Drewes)
Drewes told CBS 17 she wants more people held accountable in these cases. In North Carolina, there is a criminal charge called death by distribution. However, she says no one has been charged in connection to her daughter’s death.
How to access naloxone, other resources in NC
In North Carolina, there is a statewide standing order for naloxone, commonly known by the brand name, “Narcan.” It authorizes pharmacists to dispense naloxone to any person meeting the criteria.
Under this order, it is available without a prescription at most retail pharmacies in the state. It is also covered under most insurance policies. It is also available at local health departments and many syringe service programs.
According to preliminary SSP data from DHHS, more than 114,000 naloxone overdose rescue kits were distributed last year. For more information about naloxone and other statewide resources, visit the NCDHHS website or https://naloxonesaves.org/.
