SAN FRANCISCO — When Christina Lacourte went to wake her teenage son Dante one morning in April, she found his bedroom door locked. She had to use a coat hanger to get it open.
Inside, she found her 16-year-old son dead in his bed from an apparent overdose.
Lacourte recently shared her story with The New York Times, hoping to warn other families about the dangers of illicit pills.
Multiple news outlets have reported that Dante’s death was the first known overdose death in San Francisco involving cychlorphine, a synthetic opioid reported to be up to ten times more potent than fentanyl.
As Emily’s Hope reported in March, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration warned about the drug after it was detected in the Chicago area. Fentanyl test strips do not detect it, and reversing its effects may require multiple doses of naloxone.
Dante’s death launched an investigation by the San Francisco Police Department’s Narcotics Unit. Officers collected evidence from his home, including what appeared to be pharmaceutical medication, and worked to identify where the pills came from.
Investigators eventually identified suspected sources and conducted multiple controlled drug purchases before obtaining search warrants, police said.
On Sept. 8 and 9, officers served search warrants at three San Francisco residences, resulting in four arrests.
At the home of 46-year-old Nicholas Wallace on Sept. 8, officers said they found 34 suspected oxycodone pills and cocaine.
Officers also arrested 44-year-old Sharonee Hyson at the residence. Police said Hyson was on active parole and had 11.7 grams of cocaine base and a loaded firearm.
The following day, officers searched two additional residences and seized more than 20,000 pills. Police said the drugs included suspected counterfeit Xanax, oxycodone, hydrocodone, cyclobenzaprine and other narcotics, including fentanyl.
Investigators also seized 68.5 grams of MDMA, 6.5 grams of black tar heroin, a semiautomatic assault rifle, a semiautomatic pistol and $2,267 in cash, according to police.
Officers arrested 46-year-old Leander Pitts and 39-year-old Starr Lamare at the two residences.
All four suspects were booked into the San Francisco County Jail on multiple charges, including possession of narcotics for sale and firearms-related charges.
Police also tested counterfeit pills seized during earlier investigations and found some contained cychlorphine. The department is working with the federal Food and Drug Administration to determine whether any of the counterfeit pills seized this month also contain the drug.
“This tragic case highlights the dangers these deadly drugs pose to our community. I want to thank our investigators whose diligent work will no doubt save lives and keep our streets safer,” Police Chief Derrick Lew said.
Meanwhile, Lacourte told The New York Times she has gotten rid of much of the furniture from the bedroom where Dante died.
But she kept one thing: a neon sign that hung above his bed and reads “Open.”
Every morning, she turns it on. She can see its glow from other parts of the apartment.
Every night, she turns it off.
She told The New York Times that each time she flips the switch, she thinks of Dante.
