Category: Fentanyl

Family opens up about 19-year-old’s overdose death

This is a two-part series originally published in July 2018 by Elizabeth Cook

SALISBURY — The message on White House stationery is brief. The president thanks Amy Morris of Salisbury for her letter about daughter Taylor’s overdose and death in November 2017. He and Melania send their prayers, he says. And he pledges his commitment to battle the opioid epidemic. “My Administration is fighting this crisis on all fronts, and examples like yours motivate me to keep up the fight,” the letter says. Below was his distinctive signature in bold, black ink: Donald J. Trump. Amy was shocked to receive the response. The president’s message mentioned Taylor by name. Amy believes Trump wants to see change. But she is not waiting around to see what happens. She’s sharing the story of her daughter’s death to bring opioids out of the forgotten shadows and open other parents’ eyes. “My concern is I don’t want to see another mother go through the heartache that I went through,” Amy says, “and I know that it’s happening over and over.”

Read all of Part 1 on the Salisbury Post website.

Read all of Part 2 on the Salisbury Post website.

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DOJ Announces Major Fentanyl Arrest of Chinese Nationals

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted eight Chinese nationals and arrested two for alleged fentanyl manufacturing, distribution and more, a move that current and former federal officials confirmed to Newsweek ahead of the announcement.

Three China-based chemical companies and eight Chinese nationals were charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, the DOJ said during a Friday press conference. Prosecutors said two of the eight employees have been taken into custody, including a corporate executive and marketing manager.

“When companies and employees, including those in the C-suite knowingly fuel the fentanyl crisis, they will be held to account. We will expose them as drug traffickers,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said.

Read the full article on Newsweek.com.

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Eastern Carolina County holds public opioid settlement discussion

By Alyssa Hefner

Published: Jun. 20, 2023 at 9:03 PM EDT

BEAUFORT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – Beaufort County will receive a little over $3 million over the next 18 years in the opioid settlement, and Tuesday community members were able to discuss how they want to distribute it.

“When I first found out that my son had passed away from fentanyl, it was the Monday after we had his funeral on Saturday, so before then, I didn’t even know what illicit fentanyl was,” said Beaufort County resident Allena Hale.

The mother of Mikey Boyd, who passed away because of a fentanyl overdose back in March of 2022, was one of the community members to voice her opinion at Tuesday’s Behavioral Health Task Force Collaborative meeting.

“I don’t think there’s one simple solution it’s going to be efforts of parents; it’s going to be efforts of law enforcement, department agencies, EMS – it’s going to be all hands on deck to kind of combat this epidemic,” said Hale.

Read the full article and watch the video on the WITN web site.

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Winston-Salem mother searches for answers after son dies from fentanyl overdose

For six long months, Andrea Scales didn’t know for sure how her only son died.

It took that long for a toxicology screen run by the state medical examiner’s office to come back with a ruling: fentanyl poisoning.

Someone slipped her son what he surely thought was a Percocet pill. Instead, the pill contained fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid similar to morphine, and it took his life.

Jeremiah “J5” Scales, an accomplished athlete at Parkland High School, was 19 years old.

“I knew nothing about fentanyl … one Percocet doesn’t kill you,” Scales said. “It was the last thing I ever expected.”

Now, a little over a year since she buried Jeremiah, she’s decided to see if she could save another mother from feeling the same crushing pain.

She allowed a photo of her son to be included on a month-long billboard campaign to educate and raise awareness about an epidemic that has killed thousands of North Carolinians.

“It just hurts … extremely painful to live without your only child,” Scales said. “Yes, I’m all for educating other people about it and doing whatever I can do.”

Read the full article on the Winston-Salem Journal website (subscription may be required).

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Victims’ families fight illicit fentanyl in North Carolina, speak during local event

WATAUGA — The Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina and Forgotten Victims of North Carolina hosted an invitation-only event at App Ski Mtn. on Saturday, June 3, to provide victims’ loved ones the opportunity to share their story and honor their children, siblings and parents lost to illicit fentanyl poisoning.

The Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina Executive Director Barb Walsh lost her 24 year-old daughter Sophia in 2021 to fentanyl poisoning. Sophia, an App State graduate and successful business woman, was visiting someone in Banner Elk and is thought to have unknowingly consumed a drink laced with illicit fentanyl. While the case closed with no charges pursued, Walsh is committed to bringing awareness to the dangers of fentanyl poisoning and advocate for justice for victims and their families.

Loved ones of illicit fentanyl victims Timothy Daniel Cothron, Alex Bradford, Heaven Nelson, Michiko Duff Marshall Abbott and Brianna Culpepper spoke about their experiences. NC Department of Justice Community Partnership and Outreach Coordinator Holly Jones, NC District 93 Rep. Ray Pickett and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page discussed progress and intended actions related to fighting illicit fentanyl.

Read the full article on the Watauga Democrat website.

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Local mom wants to spread awareness of the dangers of fentanyl

By Tessa Bradshaw at the Kernersville News June 1, 2023.

On Monday, 18 billboards went up around the Triad with faces of those the community has lost due tofentanyl poi­soning. One of those faces was Walker­ town local Christian Wilson who died from fentanyl poisoning in 2019. The billboard reads, ‘join us and fight illicit fentanyl.Christian, Forever 19.

Christian’s mother, Crystal Wilson, of Walkertown, has made it her mission to help others who are going through this and to also help bring awareness to the rising issue of fentanyl in the county, state and country.

She explained that the 18 “angels” on the billboards, including her son, are only a fraction of the people that North Caro­lina has lost to fentanyl poisoning.

We say poisoning, not overdose. It is a poisoning because they don’t know what they’re taking.

An overdose is taking too much of a known substance.They don’tknow that this is there, so it’s considered a poisoning.

Crystal Wilson

This article is not available online, to read the full story from the Kernersville News, download the PDF scan of the article.

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WCSO arrests woman for death by distribution, first charge of it’s kind in Watauga

Other man to face similar charges once released from jail on unrelated case

WATAUGA — The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office has charged a woman with death by distribution in what is the first charge of its kind in the county.

Angelina G. Miller, 30, was arrested by the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, June 3, after WCSO notified Alexander County that she was likely in the area.

The secured bond for the death by distribution charge was set at $500,000 by Alexander County Magistrate’s Office. She received a court date for June 28, at 9 a.m. in Watauga County District Court.

According to the Watauga County warrant, Miller allegedly “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did sell narcotics, Fentanyl, which” killed someone due to an overdose of the Fentanyl. The warrant notes that the “offender did not act with malice.”

Read the full article on the Watauga Democrat website.

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Look out for these new billboards raising awareness about North Carolina fentanyl deaths

Jeremiah Scales and 18 other faces are in rotation on two Winston-Salem billboards along Business 40.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Illicit fentanyl is a deadly drug. 

According to the state Department of Health and Human Services, there was a 22% increase in Fentanyl deaths in North Carolina in 2021.

Families of 19 of those lives taken too soon were brave enough to put their loved one’s faces on display here in the Triad.  

A roadside tribute to Jeremiah Scales warmed the hearts of his grandmother and mother Andrea Scales.  

“To see his face on the screen with other angels who have lost their lives to such a deadly poison,” Scales said. “His beautiful face is still alive in his home city it means so much.”

Jeremiah and 18 other faces are in rotation on two Winston-Salem billboards along Business 40.

Read the full story on the WFMY website.

FENTVIC.ORG  NC BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN

May 29-June 26, 2023, 24/7, digital and illuminated.

Winston-Salem, Forsyth County NC, 2 locations

Purpose is to raise awareness of the 13,376 NC victims of illicit fentanyl poisonings and to generate public safety conversations within communities and families about the dangers of illicit fentanyl, particularly counterfeit pills.  Illicit fentanyl killed over 523 Forsyth County residents in the past 9 years, 2013-August 2022.  (source:  North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics Death Certificate Data)

These are the first billboards of the FENTVIC.ORG Campaign.  They feature 19 NC illicit fentanyl poisoning victims with permission of their families.  The campaign will run in other cities throughout NC exclusively featuring NC illicit fentanyl poisoning victims.  Future campaign locations and dates TBD.

FENTVIC.ORG  NC BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN

Administered by Fentanyl Victims Network of NC (fentvic), www.fentvic.org,

Barb Walsh, Executive Director, 919-614-3830, barb@fentvic.org.  Fentvic is a charitable nonprofit located in Cary NC.  EIN #88-3921380.  Fentvic fights illicit fentanyl in NC. Fentvic advocates for public safety for all and justice for NC families permanently damaged by illicit fentanyl poisonings.

In partnership with Forgotten Victims of NC, Patricia Drewes, Founder, 252-204-9611, patriciadrewes@yahoo.com, link to FB page:  http://forgottenvictimsofnc.org/

Campaign Locations & Artwork developed Adams Outdoor Advertising, Julie Belnap, Account Executive,336-926-3850 (cell), jbelnap@adamsoutdoor.com

FENTVIC.ORG  NC BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: 2 locations in Winston Salem, Forsyth County

  1. Digital Group One features NC fentanyl victims Alexandra, Christian, Gabriella, Heaven, Hunter, Jared, Jeremiah, Robert, Sophia, and Zack:  Billboard location:  sign 305-4.  B40 .12 miles East of Stratford Road N, Exit 3C N/side of highway Facing west.  You can park off Miller Street (near Publix) behind the Mayberry’s Restaurant to view this digital (parking lot area there for viewing) Google Maps.
  2. Digital Group Two features NC fentanyl victims Abigail, Ashley, Carissa, Chase, Marshall, Martin, Michiko, Mikey, Sophia, and Vincent.  Billboard Location:  sign 602-4. B40 .37 miles West of Old Greensboro Rd/ Linville Road (Exit 10)NS Facing west.  Take Exit 10 to Linville Road, and head towards Smokin’ Harley Davidson dealer.  Go past the dealer toward Pepsi plant (turn around and you can park on side of service road for viewing) Google Maps.
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