Grieving parents sound alarm against illicit fentanyl in Prescott-area communities | The Daily Courier

Ana Perez now sports activities a calligraphy model letter ‘A’ behind her left ear; her proper shoulder bears a tattoo that reads “Alondra ~ Love” with a butterfly.

Mike and Sommer Cupp’s lounge is a shrine of household pictures — their center teenage daughter Hannah Mae’s face is a smiling beacon on the forefront of many from toddlerhood to her seventeenth 12 months.

For these mother and father, such tributes are all they’ve left of their beloved daughters. The Perez and Cupps are actually members of what’s turning into lower than an unique membership of households pressured to bury their teenagers and younger adults after ingesting capsules, or different substances, laced with artificial fentanyl.

This potent, illicit road drug simply hidden in prescription capsules, and even over-the-counter drugs, has robbed Yavapai County of 5 teenage lives this 12 months; eight since 2019, stated MatForce Govt Director Merilee Fowler, the chief of the county’s substance abuse prevention coalition.

In 2020 thus far, MatForce’s fatality evaluate board has chronicled 33 fentanyl-related overdose deaths.

“It sickened me to listen to of (14-year-old Alondra Valeria Salinas) … it tore me aside,” lamented Mike Cupp over the Oct. 20 dying of the soon-to-be freshman at Bradshaw Mountain Excessive Faculty in Prescott Valley, eight months after he buried his home-schooled daughter planning a profession in cosmetology.

Along with his voice breaking, the world native who along with his spouse, Sommer, raised Hannah, 17, sister Kailee, 17, and sister Randi, 12, stated he was heartbroken to listen to that the night time earlier than Alondra’s dying she was packing her “backpack for the beginning of her freshman 12 months.”

“Why is that this nonetheless occurring?” the distraught father requested.

LAW ENFORCEMENT’S HEARTACHE

Space legislation enforcement, educators, counselors, civic leaders, and different mother and father ask the identical questions and share the identical concern that these is not going to be the final lives misplaced to this scourge — a counterfeit drug so potent it takes solely a pinch disguised in an in any other case innocuous tablet, or a sweet rope, to kill.

“Our detectives are heartsick over these deaths in our group,” Yavapai County Sheriff’s Workplace spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn stated. “Sellers can count on a go to.”

The Perez and Cupp households are clear their daughters may need made some less-than-wise teenage decisions when it got here to trusting sure buddies and, in response to legislation enforcement, probably experimented with vaping, alcohol, and even marijuana, however neither was a drug addict.

“Hannah wasn’t an angel, at all times,” Sommer Cupp admitted.

Nonetheless, although Hannah and Alondra could have each bowed to see strain now and again, Sommer and her husband, and Alondra’s mom, stated nothing prompt they had been playing with their lives. A trusted somebody lied to them. Now the households will endlessly be shy one particular person at their vacation feasts, their household holidays or their popcorn and Netflix film nights.

In each Hannah and Alondra’s instances, the trusted somebody often is the identical particular person. But, it’s potential coinciding felony investigations could not result in an arrest.

POST-DEATH ARRESTS

In a information launch this previous week, D’Evelyn emphasised detectives have NOT but traced a connection between the Oct. 26 drug-related arrests of Aaron Lundsford Schmit, 18, and Christopher Munsey, 18, of Prescott, in addition to another juveniles, to the deaths of those two ladies.

Although the investigation into the ladies’ deaths prompted detectives with the Companions Towards Narcotic Trafficking (PANT) taskforce to pursue the teenagers, and ultimately led to their arrests on separate drug possession and associated prices, D’Evelyn stated the 2 haven’t been criminally accused of offering the deadly capsules. PANT has been “flooded” with data figuring out the 2 and another juveniles with offering fentanyl capsules in the neighborhood, he acknowledged within the information launch.

Schmit was launched and is now awaiting prosecution on these pending prices. Munsey is being held with out bond within the Yavapai County jail as he’s additionally going through unrelated drug prices in Prescott Valley.

Hannah’s mother and father stated their daughter was secretly courting Schmit and making journeys with him to Phoenix previous to her dying. Alondra’s mom stated her daughter was additionally spending time with Schmit and one of many arrested juvenile ladies. Each mother and father stated they suggested their daughters to be cautious.

A pair weeks earlier than her daughter’s dying, Perez stated her older son sounded the alarm about a number of the folks his sister was spending time with on the close by skate park.

Alondra admitted she was affected by some vanity points over her weight, and Perez stated she tried to consolation and guarantee her such feedback had been merciless and unfaithful. She even arrange a counseling appointment along with her daughter for Oct. 21 — the day after Alondra died.

She recalled about that very same time Alondra grew to become sick whereas spending time with a juvenile woman later arrested on drug prices. Perez stated she suspected her daughter may need tried a tablet to manage her weight. Perez stated she warned the woman if she caught her giving her daughter capsules once more she would name the police, including that the woman denied all of it.

Likewise, Cupp stated he had the same dialog with Hannah about her travels to Phoenix and her relationship with Schmit. Hannah assured she was simply serving to out a buddy.

The mother and father stated they might by no means have predicted the tragic penalties.

“The satan got here knocking on my door, and I didn’t realize it,” Cupp stated.

SEEKING JUSTICE

Each units of fogeys need justice for his or her daughters.

Of their daughters’ names, they need to rid this group of drug sellers able to killing considered one of their buddies or classmates.

“Nobody ought to must undergo this ache,” Perez stated as tears flowed down her cheeks.

The night time earlier than Alondra went to the native skate park, mom and daughter loved a plate of barbecue ribs and rice, and laughed over memes they discovered on Fb, Perez stated. Alondra made positive her Vans black backpack and corresponding white skater sneakers had been prepared for college the following day.

At 11:30 p.m., Alondra headed for a bathe and the 2 shared back-and-forth “I Love Yous,” Perez reminisced as she cried.

Alondra requested her mom to wake her at 6 a.m. These had been the final phrases they shared — the woman who preferred Tupac Shukar’s rap music, delighted in butterflies, and liked fussing along with her hair and make-up.

Standing earlier than their lounge tribute to Alondra, full with the flower cross displayed at her funeral, Perez’ sorrow was changed with a steely resolve.

To all of the mother and father on the market, Perez stated they have to be extra assertive about understanding who their kids are with, the place they’re going and if there’s supervision, and monitoring their social media.

Then she gulps again a sob. She shakes her head.

“However generally you simply don’t know,” Perez whispers.

Silent for a second, Perez once more finds her voice. This time, she tackle her daughter’s buddies and friends.

“If somebody provides you medicine, they aren’t your mates. For those who see a buddy is in bother, or in a tricky scenario, converse up. Inform any individual,” Perez insisted.

MOVING FORWARD

Prescott Valley Deputy Chief James Edelstein assured legislation enforcement and prevention advocates need to do every part potential to forestall future deaths, and supply justice to those and different grieving households.

From his perspective, Edelstein stated he’d prefer to see the group market social media messages focused to teenagers so they’re able to repel those that would do them hurt.

Fowler concurs.

MatForce is now tips on how to do a mass consciousness marketing campaign — the coalition has some 4,000 folks on its e mail record — and likewise do on-the-ground training for teenagers and younger adults who seem most vulnerable to those that may tempt them with a doubtlessly deadly drug.

“It’s a SERIOUS drawback,” Fowler stated. “You may’t even take an aspirin somebody fingers you.”

“You need to discuss pandemic, these children are dying,” Sommer Cupp lamented.

“I’m going to maintain combating the great struggle,” her husband stated with a decided tone. “This (artificial fentanyl) is a dying sentence.”

Observe Nanci Hutson on Twitter @HutsonNanci. Attain her at 928-445-3333 ext. 2041.

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