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Independence mom seeks answers after 17-year-old son died of fentanyl poisoning

By Taylor Johnson

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — Nicole Dell said her 17-year-old son Ian was caring, funny and loved making friends. August 10 was another day for them, but something was unusual.

“He seemed like he was in a bit of a bad mood, which wasn’t like him,” she said.

Dell picked Ian up from his lifeguard job at Adventure Oasis and dropped him off at a friend’s house. But little did she know, she’d be seeing her son for the last time.

“I texted him around 11 and I asked him if he was still awake, and he didn’t respond back. I figured he just fell asleep,” she said.

Dell said Ian died Aug. 11, and the cause was accidental acute fentanyl poisoning. Now, she wants to know how this happened to her son.

“I don’t know if he got a pill from someone. I don’t know. we’re looking into trying to find out who gave this to him,” said Dell.

She said she is working with Independence police to track Ian’s phone records and other possible evidence to get answers.

“This wasn’t an overdose. Like, they’re poisoning our kids. Ian’s not the first one, you know. And he’s definitely not going to be the last,” she said.

According to Dell, she wants other parents to know to talk with her kids about drugs like she did and to continue showing them love and support.

“You can’t be with your kid every second, you know. You can just hope that they will make good decisions and just tell them it is very real.”

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