Police charge Matthew Porter with his brother’s death after giving him fentanyl.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — A man was charged with the death of his brother on Wednesday after police said he gave him fentanyl.
Police arrested Matthew Glenn Porter, 37, in relation to an overdose investigation into the death of his brother Jeffrey Allen Porter, 38.
Jefferey was found unresponsive in his home back in Sept. 2024. He was taken to the hospital where he later died, according to police. The Medical Examiner ruled he died by overdose.
In an arrest warrant obtained by WFMY News 2, police said Matthew gave Jeffery the fentanyl.
Matthew was charged with one count of death by distribution and has a $200,000 bond.
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.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Pictures of a Greensboro lady who died from a fentanyl overdose are being seen from The Gate City to The Big Apple, due to efforts from her grandmother.
When traveling along Lawndale Dr. Greensboro drivers may notice the face of Ashley Whaby. The shot is only up for a couple of seconds, but that is everything drivers need to get the point.
“She’ll never say yes to the dress. Abby 16 she’ll never graduate high school. Christian left a little boy behind,” said Whaby’s grandmother, Debbie Peeden.
Forever 23, October marks three years since Whaby’s death. Aside from memories, pictures are all that’s left. Wednesday those images are being seen all across the east coast.
“Today in Time Square in New York City Facing Fentanyl is doing a huge event. They’re taking over Time Square. They’ll be pictures and billboards of all the victims across the country who have died from fentanyl poisoning,” Peeden continued, “I’m not going to have her death be in vain, I loved her and raised her like a daughter. She called me Nana, Nana Banana.”
National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day warns people of the drug’s dangers.
“She thought she was getting cocaine, but when we got the toxicology report she had enough fentanyl in her system to kill eight people. She didn’t stand a chance,” said Peeden.
Since Ashley’s death, her grandmother’s mission has changed. She fights to make sure young people have the chance Whaby didn’t.
“Apps like Snapchat make it so simple for a child to go online and get what they think is an adderall or a xanax or a percocet really what they’re going to get is a fentanyl pill that can kill them,” Peeden warned.
Peeden’s advises parents to talk to their kids and know what they are doing online.
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking that it can’t happen to your child because it can, and it does,” exclaimed Peeden.
