Wyandotte County Died: September 7, 2022 She lost her son. Now she works to educate others For most of his childhood, Shawn Dewey II lived in a home with a single mother and three sisters. The girls would tease that he was a “mama’s boy.” But mom Shannon Earnshaw says he was spoiled just asContinue reading “Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri- Shawn Dewey, II, 25”
Tag Archives: #Drugs
Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri – David Hill, 29
Leavenworth County Died: May 30, 2018 The night David Hill died in 2018, he bought heroin. But what he got was laced with fentanyl, his brother said. A former Western Illinois University baseball player who once aspired to be in the big leagues, David Hill was 29 years old when he died. “My brother neverContinue reading “Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri – David Hill, 29”
Opioid Crisis Fridays: Idaho U.S. Attorney targets fentanyl trafficking in North Idaho and beyond
by Jordan Smith COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Idaho has a lot on its plate, battling multiple issues threatening public safety statewide. At the top of the list: cracking down on fentanyl. “Unfortunately we’ve seen large amounts of fentanyl in North Idaho,” said U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit, who represents the DistrictContinue reading “Opioid Crisis Fridays: Idaho U.S. Attorney targets fentanyl trafficking in North Idaho and beyond”
Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri – Nicholas “Cruz” Burris, 15
Died: Jan. 18, 2023 Leavenworth, County A late night deal over Snapchat. In the morning, he was dead. It was a typical Tuesday night early this year when Andy Burris stopped to talk to his son before heading to bed. After asking Cruz — a freshman at Lansing High School — if he wanted toContinue reading “Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri – Nicholas “Cruz” Burris, 15″
Opioid Crisis Fridays: A mother turns grief over her daughter’s overdose death into a movement to save others struggling with addiction
by Meg Dunn Johnson, Vermont — For so many Americans, Jenna Rae Tatro’s story is one that’s all too familiar. After a visit to the emergency room in 2012, she received her first prescription for OxyContin. That 30-day opioid prescription changed the course of her life. The once joyful 20-year-old who loved horseback riding and animals becameContinue reading “Opioid Crisis Fridays: A mother turns grief over her daughter’s overdose death into a movement to save others struggling with addiction”
Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri – Caleb Jackson, 18
Leavenworth County Died: March 10, 2023 Everything changed in 2020.’ A ‘great kid’ who struggled during pandemic. Caleb was 18 months old when he arrived at his foster home in Leavenworth. And the connection was immediate, said Vanessa Jackson, who with her husband Todd would later adopt Caleb and his older biological brother. “He wasContinue reading “Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri – Caleb Jackson, 18”
Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri – Desi’ree Washington, 19
Died: March 8, 2023 Mother says she lost her ‘best friend that day’ Desi’Ree Washington was her mom’s “girly girl.” She loved purses and makeup, her signature fake eyelashes and helping others look good. “She was my fashionista,” said her mother, Kelly Garner. “She always had my outfits picked out for me.” On the dayContinue reading “Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri – Desi’ree Washington, 19”
Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri – JayPee Luciano Morales, 2
JAYPEE LUCIANO MORALES, 2 Johnson County Died: November 14, 2020 He was just 2. Now his parents are in prison for his death First responders found 2-year-old JayPee Luciano Morales unresponsive inside a home in Merriam in mid-November 2020. Testing later showed that fentanyl was in the little boy’s system, and medical examiners concluded thatContinue reading “Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri – JayPee Luciano Morales, 2”
Opioid Crisis Fridays: The Supreme Court rejects a nationwide opioid settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma
by Mark Sherman WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would have shielded members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids but also would have provided billions of dollars to combat the opioid epidemic. After deliberating more than six months,Continue reading “Opioid Crisis Fridays: The Supreme Court rejects a nationwide opioid settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma”
Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri – Lantz Tucker
LANTZ TUCKER, 22 Johnson County DIED: MARCH 4, 2020 ‘He always said, ‘Go big or go home.’ And that’s how he lived his life” Ask Crystal Tucker to describe her son, Lantz, and she doesn’t hesitate one bit. “The first word that comes to mind is fearless,” she said. “He wasn’t afraid of a challenge.Continue reading “Opioid Crisis Fridays: True Stories from Missouri – Lantz Tucker”