Seniors at Belle Chasse High School in Louisiana are grieving the loss of a fellow student who died in the days leading up to their graduation ceremony.
The Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating her death and wants to find out who sold what could be the drug fentanyl to the teen, KHOU reported Wednesday.
Eighteen-year-old Hailey Deickman’s mom and sisters bid her goodbye Tuesday while beside her hospital bed. The teenager is believed to have ingested half a street pill sold as prescription Percocet. However, it may have been one of the counterfeit pills commonly found on the streets.
“We had two young females take what appears to be maybe fentanyl,” Plaquemines Parish Sheriff, Jerry Turlich, Jr., told reporters.
The second girl is reportedly alright but the school’s community is struggling with its loss.
“We had grief counselors on-site first thing this morning. The teachers are going through a lot. They’re the ones I’m really worried about because they have to be strong for their students,” Principal Jemi Carlone noted.
The sheriff’s department will speak with Hailey’s classmates on Thursday before their commencement rehearsal.
“We do want them to understand the realities of what they’re taking. When they might just be thinking they’re going to have a temporary high, it could kill you,” Sheriff Turlich explained.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s website, fentanyl is a “powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent”:
Some drug dealers are mixing fentanyl with other drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA. This is because it takes very little to produce a high with fentanyl, making it a cheaper option. This is especially risky when people taking drugs don’t realize they might contain fentanyl as a cheap but dangerous additive. They might be taking stronger opioids than their bodies are used to and can be more likely to overdose.
“It’s been one of the toughest days of my career. Last night, I brought her cap and gown to the ICU for her mother,” Carlone noted.
The sheriff’s department is reportedly planning to look into a murder charge if it can locate the dealer who sold the pills to the students.
“Hailey was a straight A student and was graduating from high school on May 25th. Hailey was registered to attend The University of New Orleans in the Fall,” a GoFundMe page set up to help the family with funeral costs read.
As of Thursday, the page had raised $10,063 of its $10,000 goal.
“A reminder from Sheriff Jerry Turlich to please continue to educate your children on the harmful effects of drug use while closely monitoring social media and cellular phone contacts and interactions,” the sheriff’s department said in a Facebook post.
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