Father whose son died from fentanyl warns overdoses ‘can happen to anyone’ as states fight deadly crisis

As officials look to combat the travel of fentanyl coming done the United States' confederate border, parents who person experienced the drug's deadly consequences are informing others of the risks aft losing their ain children to opioid overdoses. 

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and archetypal woman Suzanne Youngkin person launched a litany of campaigns looking to curb the travel of fentanyl into the state, and information shows their efforts are working. Virginia is starring the federation successful year-over-year percent declines successful cause overdose deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Governor Youngkin and his administration’s attack to stopping the scourge of fentanyl stands connected 4 principles: interrupt the cause trade, heighten penalties for cause dealers, amended radical astir the dangers of fentanyl, and equip them to prevention the beingness of idiosyncratic successful crisis," Peter Finocchio, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, said successful a connection to Fox News Digital. "Everyone indispensable cognize the information posed by fentanyl: it lone takes 1 pill to kill."

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(Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images/File)

The administration's "It Only Takes One" run is aiming to amended parents connected the dangers surrounding fentanyl by teaching them however to spot the signs of a cause overdose and administer naloxone (Narcan). 

"We passed caller laws banning pill presses, notifying parents of overdose successful their child’s schoolhouse and yet establishing a caller felony to clasp accountable cause dealers whose victims dice from an overdose," Youngkin said successful a property release. "The First Lady launched ‘It Only Takes One,’ a broad acquisition and engagement inaugural to springiness parents, household members, educators, and caretakers the cognition they request to pass their loved ones astir the dangers of fentanyl." 

The inaugural comes arsenic cause overdose deaths passim the state are astatine their lowest constituent since June 2020, with preliminary information showing a 24% driblet for the 12 months ending successful September 2024, according to the CDC. 

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Steve Muth and his son, Zachary, airs for a photograph aft a sportfishing trip. Zachary died aft overdosing connected fentanyl portion helium was distant astatine college. (Courtesy of Steve Muth)

But for immoderate parents, the diminution successful deaths means precise small aft losing their ain children to cause overdoses. 

Steve Muth’s lone child, Zachary, died astatine 23 years aged aft taking a pill laced with fentanyl successful February 2021. Zachary was a assemblage pupil and a subordinate of a fraternity erstwhile helium took a Xanax pill from a person that was unknowingly laced with fentanyl.

"It tin hap to anyone, due to the fact that my lad looked maine successful the oculus and said it would ne'er hap to him," Muth told Fox News Digital. "He said that each his friends person Narcan, and truthful I think, archetypal and foremost, if there's immoderate notification that [kids are] dabbling successful thing overseas connected campus, get power of it immediately. Just marque definite they enactment distant from thing and everything, and if you person to get them retired of that schoolhouse oregon that fraternity, due to the fact that it's a existent problem." 

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Workers manus retired escaped Narcan to spring-breakers connected the formation successful Fort Lauderdale, Fla., connected March 16, 2025. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)

After the decease of his son, Muth co-founded ZEM Life alongside Dr. Joanna Sawyer, a board-certified anesthesiologist. The tech startup is moving to formulate a smartwatch that tin pinpoint the signs of a cause overdose and automatically supply a perchance life-saving dose of Narcan to the wearer.

Sawyer insists 1 of the cardinal dangers surrounding fentanyl is however rapidly it tin participate a person’s system, with the drug’s deadly effects taking implicit astir immediately. 

"It's an highly potent synthetic cause wherever conscionable thousands of grams tin origin idiosyncratic to halt breathing," Sawyer told Fox News Digital. "We're uncovering successful our communities [that] these pills incorporate monolithic doses of the drug; there's capable coming into our state to termination millions. The information is that there's nary mode to power what's successful thing that idiosyncratic is getting connected the street, and it's apt highly dangerous." 

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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and woman Suzanne Youngkin (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images/File)

In summation to the Virginia archetypal lady’s efforts to support families from nonaccomplishment owed to overdose, Gov. Youngkin has aimed to ace down connected illicit drugs ending up successful the hands of Virginians. 

Youngkin’s Operation FREE is moving alongside federal, authorities and section instrumentality enforcement to combat the travel of illicit drugs into the state. 

"Overdose deaths skyrocketed crossed America and successful Virginia driven chiefly by illicit fentanyl flowing crossed our confederate border," Youngkin said successful a property release. "With an mean of 5 [Virginians dying] each day, successful 2022 we launched a broad effort to halt the scourge of fentanyl, it’s working, and Virginia is leading." 

The concern has seized astir 55,350 pounds of illicit narcotics – including 800 pounds of fentanyl – and made much than 2,500 arrests passim Virginia since it was announced successful May 2023. State lawmakers person besides passed laws banning pill presses, requiring schoolhouse employees to study signs of overdoses to parents wrong 24 hours, and introducing a caller felony complaint for cause dealers suspected of providing narcotics starring to an individual’s death. 

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Virginia has besides declared the opioid a "weapon of terrorism," opening up the ineligible quality to slap coercion charges connected drug-related offenses. 

"There is overmuch much enactment to beryllium done, but each Virginians are grateful for the enactment of the First Lady and our Fentanyl Family Ambassadors, each of our authorities agencies, and our astonishing national partners including President [Donald] Trump, Attorney General [Pam] Bondi, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration," Youngkin wrote.  

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As authorities and national officials purpose to ace down connected the drug’s infiltration of communities passim the country, Muth said the dangers tin seep into immoderate household aft his lad fell unfortunate to a fentanyl overdose. 

"There are truthful galore deaths that instrumentality spot from fentanyl," Muth said. "My lad was not a cause addict. He functioned, helium worked, helium went to school. Did helium person weaknesses astatine parties? Absolutely, conscionable similar each of america do. It's the mundane person, and that's the biggest misconception. These are much than cause addicts; they're quality beings that are portion of the community, going to school, [my son] was a hockey player. It's conscionable unthinkable the antithetic types of radical that are passing distant from this problem."