13-Years-Old Teenage Boy From Colorado Dies From Accidental Fentanyl Overdose

Jose Hernandez Margarita Flores-Velasquez Aurora Police Department fentanyl overdose fentanyl Abisaid Hernandez GoFundMe

By Camille Hutchison , Parent Herald Aug 16, 09:33 am

Jose Hernandez,13 years old, was found hunched over a bathroom sink by his grandmother, Margarita Flores-Velasquez.

The family is devastated as they mourn the loss of the teenage boy whom they said died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl. The grandmother couldn't contain her emotions as she recalls how she found her grandson in the bathroom sink early Wednesday morning.

Margarita was beyond hurt and cried as one could never imagine. She even tried moving her grandson hoping he was still alive but upon checking he was already limp and both his mouth and fingers were purple. She couldn't believe that her grandson died in a snap due to an overdose.

According to the family, Jose had just started his eighth grade at Aurora Hills Middle School on Tuesday. A day after he went to school, he was found dead. The young boy's relative told Inside Edition that they believed he had taken fentanyl that was given to him by another student in school.

Heartbreaking scene for the family especially for the grandmother

Jose's uncle, Abisaid Hernandez described his nephew as an amazing person. He claimed that his nephew had no history of doing drugs or things related to it. Abisaid blamed the peers the teenage boy decided to hang out with and thinks that some of his companions were encouraging him to try such things, making it look okay and legal.

The 13-year-old had two younger siblings that the young boy and his uncle helped care for. Abisaid and the young boy would stay with his two younger siblings and the uncle would treat them as his own. The family still cannot believe what happened, they said that Jose had shown how he loves his family more than himself and he had amazing ideas.

Jose and his other two siblings were residing with their grandmother following the deportation of their mother to Mexico. The Aurora Police Department stated that the boy's death is now under investigation but would not provide any comment as of the moment as the investigation is still open.

According to CBS Colorado, Jose's life and now death may serve as a warning to others, especially the young ones to stay away from the lethal drug. Parents, on the other hand, must keep an eye on their children and give them unconditional love as that's what they need. The family hopes for other parents to provide children with what they really need.

Family wants Jose to be remembered as a happy kid

The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses. The grandmother wrote on the fundraising site, read:

"I desire to provide a proper burial for my grandson. I am a grandmother raising three grandchildren. This unexpected loss is an extreme hardship to my family and me."

The teenage boy's mother is trying to acquire a temporary visit to return to Colorado to visit her son. The funeral is scheduled for August 26.

The number of deaths due to drug overdose in the United States increased by 16.1 percent in 2020 to 200,955. It recently increases by 34.4 percent. Therefore, a total of 83,558 people died from drug overdoses in 2020, per Injury Facts.