Northern California mothers warn about the dangers from fake pills containing deadly fentanyl
Like most parents, Denise Gentile captured every moment of her daughter Jade English's life milestones and accomplishments. Gentile has a stack of photo albums full of pictures throughout Jade's 17 years.
"I'm so grateful for all the memories that I got to make with her," Gentile said. "We did so much together."
Each image was a precious time between mom and daughter, but these memories are now all she has to hold on to.
"This was actually her last birthday that I got to spend with her," Gentile said about one of the photos.
On March 4 of last year, Gentile’s phone rang. She was told Jade was in the hospital then rushed to be at her daughter’s side.
"Nobody had prepared me for what I was walking into," Gentile said.
Jade was on life support.
"I just lost my footing,” she said “My knees just went completely became weak when I saw my daughter laying there with all those wires and tubes."
Doctors weren't able to save Jade's life.
"She was my only child and now she is gone," Gentile said.
In the days following, Gentile learned Jade was another victim of a growing fentanyl epidemic involving fake prescription drug pills.
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"It wasn't until later that I learned that it was a Percocet that she had taken half of. Not even the whole thing. But it was fentanyl," Gentile said.
Jade had suffered from anxiety and depression.
"My daughter was poisoned to death,” Gentile said. “She was deceived to death. What she took she thought was a pharmaceutical pill. She thought that was what she was getting and it wasn’t."
To this day, Gentile still doesn't know where the drug came from.
“I don't want to relive this every day, but I don't want any other family to go through this,” she said. “It is the worst thing in the world. A parent should never outlive their child."
Tragedy can also be felt at a home in Valley Springs.
"It was unimaginable,” Lita Rose said. “My daughter had no history of drug use ever."
On Jan. 2, 2021, Rose's phone rang. Her daughter's friend was frantic on the other end.
"I was wondering why she was calling,” Rose said.
Rose was told that her 39-year-old daughter Jamila Ward, a mother of three, was dead.
"It was like a kick in the stomach," Rose said.
Like Jade, Jamila thought she was taking Percocet, but no Percocet was found in her system. It was fentanyl.
"I think about her constantly,” she added. “I think of her constantly, every waking moment. She's the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and she's the last thing I think about when I go to bed."
Like Gentile, Rose is searching for answers.
"I want to know who she got it from,” Rose said. “I want to know exactly what happened to my daughter.”
She feels as if someone needs to be held accountable.
"I look at it as if she was murdered, because she was murdered,” Rose added. “She did not knowingly take fentanyl."
This story was produced as part of a special report about the epidemic of fentanyl-related deaths across Northern California. We looked at how the conversation has evolved over the past year, the education and outreach in schools and the effort to change California laws. We also heard from teens who say the problem is bigger and runs deeper than you might think. Watch the full report here.