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鈥榃e need to talk about this鈥�: Parents warn of fentanyl danger from fake pills after teen鈥檚 heartbreaking death

鈥榃e need to talk about this鈥�: Parents warn of fentanyl danger from fake pills after teen鈥檚 heartbreaking death
TONIGHT, A PLACER COUNTY FAMILY HAS A WARNING FOR ALL PARENTS AND CHILDREN ABOUT THE POTENTIALLY LETHAL COMBINATION OF OPIOIDS AND SOCIAL MEDIA. IT鈥橲 A NATIONWIDE CONCERN THAT HAS GONE LARGELY UNNOTICED UNTIL RECENTLY. IT鈥橲 NOW SHAKEN THE WHITNEY HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY IN ROCKLIN. AND UNLESS CHANGES ARE MADE, ITS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT HAPPENS AGAIN. >> YOU READY? 鈾� >> FOR YEARS, THE DIDIER FAMILY WAS TREATED TO BEAUTIFUL MUSIC LIKE THIS. BUT SINCE THE SUDDEN AND SHOCKING DEATH OF THEIR BELOVED ZACHARY, THE PIANO HAS FALLEN SILENT. 17-YEAR-OLD ZACHARY DIDIER WAS A STRAIGHT A STUDENT WITH WHAT SEEMED TO BE A LIMITLESS FUTURE. A STANDOUT ATHLETE IN SOCCER AND TRACK, ON HIS WAY TO BECOME AN EAGLE SCOUT. THE LEAD ACTOR IN THE SCHOOL PLAY, AND A TALENTED, SELF-TAUGHT MUSICIAN. >> ZACH WAS JUST A BEAUTIFUL SOUL. HE LOVED LIFE. HE LOVED PEOPLE, HE LOVED HIS FAMILY. >> THE WHITNEY HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR WAS SET TO GRADUATE IN JUNE WITH HONORS, AND HAD HIS SIGHTS ON STANFORD OR UCLA. >> HE LOVED WINNING. HE LOVED SETTING HIGH GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHING IT. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I THINK HE EVEN WAS WONDERING, WHAT ARE MY LIMITS, WHAT ARE MY BOUNDS? WHAT CAN I DO OR WHAT CAN I NOT DO? >> TODAY, HIS PARENTS, CHRIS AND LAURA, ARE LEFT ONLY WITH THEIR DREAMS OF WHAT ZACH COULD HAVE BECOME, AND THEIR MEMORIES OF THE AMAZING 17 YEARS THEY HAD WITH HIM. >> WE STRUGGLED WITH KNOWING WHETHER TO DO THIS OR NOT BECAUSE WE WANT ZACH REMEMBERED FOR HOW HE LIVED. HE LIVED THE MOST INREDIBLE LIFE. BUT WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT HOW HE DIED, BECAUSE IT鈥橲 INFORMATION WE ALL HAVE TO KNOW. >> ON DECEMBER 27, DURING WINTER BREAK, CHRIS FOUND ZACK AT HIS DESK, WITH HIS HEAD RESTING ON HIS ARM. HE WASN鈥橳 BREATHING, AND CPR HAD NO EFFECT. >> I WAS UTTERLY CONFUSED AND TRAUMATIZED. >> WHAT WAS FIRST AN INEXPLICABLE TRAGEDY -- >> HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? WHAT HAPPENED, HE JUST FELL ASLEEP? >> ZACH WAS A VICTIM OF FENTANYL POISONING. >> UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE NOW COME TO KNOW OTHER PARENTS WHO ARE SUFFERING THIS TRAGIC TYPE OF LOSS WITH FENNEL POISONING. IT IS HEARTBREAKING HOW MANY OF US THERE ARE. >> LAURA AND CHRIS DIDN鈥橳 KNOW IT, BUT ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS, ZACH HAD EXPERIMENTED WITH PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, THE SAME MEDICATIONS MILLIONS USED FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT EVERY DAY. ZACH THOUGHT HE WAS BUYING PERCOCET, BUT WHAT HE GOT INSTEAD WAS A COUNTERFEIT PILL MADE OF FENNEL, A POWERFUL PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLER THAT IS 50 TIMES STRONGER THAN MORPHINE. >> IT鈥橲 A FAKE PILL. IT DOESN鈥橳 CONTAIN ANYTHING THAT ZACH DID NOT WANT TO BUY FENNEL. THAT鈥橲 WHAT HAPPENED. -- DID NOT WANT TO BUY FENTANYL. >> DAYS LATER, AND STILL WITHOUT ALL THE ANSWERS, CHRIS AND LAURA BURIED THEIR YOUNGEST CHILD AT ST. MARY鈥橲 IN SACRAMENTO. >> WE PRAY THAT YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO EXPERIENCE IT. THE FAMILY IS HAUNTED NOT ONLY BY THE FAKE PILLS, BUT BY THE WAY ZACH GOT THEM. HE DIDN鈥橳 SLIP DOWN A DARK AND SEEDY ALLEY, HE JUST OPENED SNAP CHAT, THE SAME PHONE APP YOUR KIDS PROBABLY HAVE. ONE WITH ALL THOSE SILLY CAMERA FILTERS. DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THAT IT COULD BE AS EASY AS PICKING UP YOUR PHONE, CLICKING ON AN APP? >> NO, NO IDEA AT ALL. WE HAD ZERO IDEA THAT THAT COULD HAPPEN. WE HAD NEVER HEARD OF THAT RISK. WE NEVER HEARD THAT DRUG DEALERS ARE USING THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. >> LAURA AND CHRIS SAID THEY WHETHER TO SHARE ZACH鈥橲 STORY BECAUSE OF THE STIGMA SURROUNDING DRUGS. ALTHOUGH ZACH HAD NO HISTORY OF ADDICTION, THEY WERE WORRIED THAT THE TRUTH MIGHT TARNISH PEOPLE鈥橲 MEMORY OF HIM. >> IN OUR INNER CIRCLE OF PEOPLE THAT WE WERE SHARING WHAT WE SUSPECTED HAD HAPPENED, WE COULDN鈥橳 BELIEVE HOW EVERYBODY鈥橲 REACTIONS WERE, I HAD NO IDEA OF THIS, LAURA. THEN WE REALIZED, OK, WE CAN鈥橳 NOT SHARE WHAT WE KNOW. >> THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO GET OUT. THIS IS A BIG GAME CHANGER AND WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN OK AND RELATIVELY SAFE IN THE 70鈥橲 AND 80鈥橲 ARE EVEN THE 90鈥橲, IT鈥橲 A VERY DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT RIGHT NOW. >> YOU CAN HAVE A CHILD WHO IS CURIOUS AND TRY SOMETHING ONE TIME AND THEY ARE GONE. THERE鈥橲 NO LEARNING YOUR LESSON, NO SLIPPERY SLOPE. IT鈥橲 DEADLY. AND THERE鈥橲 THE ACCESSIBILITY, IT鈥橲 MIND BLOWING. 鈾� >> THERE鈥橲 NO DOUBT CHRIS AND LAURA ARE PROUD OF THEIR BOY AND ALL HE ACCOMPLISHED, THE PLACES HE WENT, THE FRIENDS HE MADE. AND THOUGH WE WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT ZACH COULD HAVE BECOME, WE KNOW THE LEGACY HIS PARENTS ARE COMMITTED TO LEAVING. >> IT HURTS SO BAD. IF WE CAN SPARE ONE FAMILY THIS PAIN. >> TO MAKE SURE NO OTHER CHILD IS LOST THE SAME WAY. >> WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT WHAT鈥橲 HAPPENING. WE CAN鈥橳 PROTECT ZACH NOW, BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN PROTECT YOUR KIDS AND WE CAN PROTECT OTHER KIDS. WE DID NOT KNO
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鈥榃e need to talk about this鈥�: Parents warn of fentanyl danger from fake pills after teen鈥檚 heartbreaking death
The piano in the Didier family home in Rocklin, California, has gone silent. The teenager who used to wake his parents and siblings with the sounds of beautiful music is gone 鈥� the victim of a growing and terrifying trend of fentanyl poisoning. Zachary Didier, 17, was a straight 鈥淎鈥� student with what seemed like a limitless future. He was a standout athlete in soccer and track, and a talented self-taught musician. 鈥淶ach was just a beautiful soul. He loved life. He loved people, he loved his family,鈥� said Zach鈥檚 mom, Laura Didier.The Whitney High School senior was set to graduate in June with honors and had his sights on Stanford or UCLA. 鈥淗e lived the most incredible life. But we have to talk about how he died because it鈥檚 information we all have to know,鈥� Didier said. On Dec. 27, during winter break, Zach鈥檚 dad found him slumped over his desk with his head resting in his arm. He wasn鈥檛 breathing and CPR had no effect. 鈥淚 was utterly confused and obviously in a fog and traumatized,鈥� Chris Didier recalled. 鈥淗ow does this happen? What happened? He just fell asleep.鈥漌hat was first an inexplicable tragedy has since become a cautionary tale. Zach was a victim of fentanyl poisoning. Laura and Chris Didier didn鈥檛 know, but on a couple of occasions their son had experimented with prescription drugs 鈥� the same medications millions of people use for pain management every day. Zach thought he was buying Percocet, but what he got instead was a counterfeit pill made of fentanyl, a powerful prescription painkiller that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Just a few grains can be lethal.Related Video: Placer County DA: Lethality of fake pills in recent fentanyl bust show 鈥榟ow frightening this is鈥欌淯nfortunately, we've now come to know other parents who have suffered this tragic type of loss with fentanyl poisoning and it's heartbreaking how many of us there are,鈥� Laura Didier said. The Didier family is haunted not only by the fake pills but by the way Zach got them. He didn鈥檛 slip down a dark and seedy alley. He just opened Snapchat. The same phone app millions of people use. The suspected dealer in his case has since been arrested.鈥淭his is an important message to get out that this is a big game-changer. And what may have been OK, or relatively safe in the '70s and '80s, or even the '90s 鈥� This is a very different environment right now,鈥� Chris Didier said. It was not easy for Chris and Laura Didier to share their son鈥檚 story publicly. There is a stigma that surrounds drugs. Although Zach had no history of addiction, they were worried the truth might tarnish people鈥檚 memory of him. They are now committed to awareness and ensuring no other child is lost the same way.鈥淲e need to talk about this. We need to talk about what's happening. We can't protect Zach now, but hopefully, we can protect your kid,鈥� said Laura.Related Video: Parents warn about fake pills made with fentanylThis story was reported as part of sister station KCRA's special on the rise of fake black-market pills. You can watch the full report here.

The piano in the Didier family home in Rocklin, California, has gone silent.

The teenager who used to wake his parents and siblings with the sounds of beautiful music is gone 鈥� the victim of a growing and terrifying trend of fentanyl poisoning.

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Zachary Didier, 17, was a straight 鈥淎鈥� student with what seemed like a limitless future. He was a standout athlete in soccer and track, and a talented self-taught musician.

鈥淶ach was just a beautiful soul. He loved life. He loved people, he loved his family,鈥� said Zach鈥檚 mom, Laura Didier.

The Whitney High School senior was set to graduate in June with honors and had his sights on Stanford or UCLA.

鈥淗e lived the most incredible life. But we have to talk about how he died because it鈥檚 information we all have to know,鈥� Didier said.

On Dec. 27, during winter break, Zach鈥檚 dad found him slumped over his desk with his head resting in his arm. He wasn鈥檛 breathing and CPR had no effect.

鈥淚 was utterly confused and obviously in a fog and traumatized,鈥� Chris Didier recalled. 鈥淗ow does this happen? What happened? He just fell asleep.鈥�

What was first an inexplicable tragedy has since become a cautionary tale. Zach was a victim of fentanyl poisoning.

Laura and Chris Didier didn鈥檛 know, but on a couple of occasions their son had experimented with prescription drugs 鈥� the same medications millions of people use for pain management every day.

Zach thought he was buying Percocet, but what he got instead was a counterfeit pill made of fentanyl, a powerful prescription painkiller that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Just a few grains can be lethal.

Related Video: Placer County DA: Lethality of fake pills in recent fentanyl bust show 鈥榟ow frightening this is鈥�


鈥淯nfortunately, we've now come to know other parents who have suffered this tragic type of loss with fentanyl poisoning and it's heartbreaking how many of us there are,鈥� Laura Didier said.

The Didier family is haunted not only by the fake pills but by the way Zach got them. He didn鈥檛 slip down a dark and seedy alley. He just opened Snapchat. The same phone app millions of people use. The suspected dealer in his case has since been arrested.

鈥淭his is an important message to get out that this is a big game-changer. And what may have been OK, or relatively safe in the '70s and '80s, or even the '90s 鈥� This is a very different environment right now,鈥� Chris Didier said.

It was not easy for Chris and Laura Didier to share their son鈥檚 story publicly. There is a stigma that surrounds drugs. Although Zach had no history of addiction, they were worried the truth might tarnish people鈥檚 memory of him.

They are now committed to awareness and ensuring no other child is lost the same way.

鈥淲e need to talk about this. We need to talk about what's happening. We can't protect Zach now, but hopefully, we can protect your kid,鈥� said Laura.

Related Video: Parents warn about fake pills made with fentanyl


This story was reported as part of sister station KCRA's special on the rise of fake black-market pills. .