Three families mourn the loss of children to fentanyl: "We've all lost our boys"

Three families living in Colorado Springs say there is a story behind every number recorded as a fentanyl related death.

They shared those stories with Colette Bordelon to raise awareness and advocate for more education about the dangers of fentanyl.

WE HAVE A SPECIAL DEEP DIVE FORYOU TONIGHT.WE'RE TAKING YOU BEHIND THENUMBERS OF OVERDOSE DEATHSRELATED TO FENTANYL.IT'S A POWERFUL, SYNTHICETOPIOID TYPICALLY USED TO TREATSERIOUS PA.

INBUT THE D-E-A SAYS ILLICITFENTANYL IS THE DRUG DRIVING THEALARMING INCREASE IN OVERDOSEDEATHS LAST YEARTHEIR MESSAGE TODA "Y:ONE PILL,CAN KILL." BEFORE 20-15 -- THEEL PASO COUNTY CORONER TELLSS UTHE NTFEANYL CASES WERE ALMOSTEXCLUSIVELY SUICIDES.SINCE 2019...OVERDOSE DEATHS RELATED TOFENTANYL, HAVE BEEN DOUBLING INTHE COUNTY...OUR COLETTE BORDELON HAS THESTORY.NAT: NO MORE SEEING M HIREACHHIS GOALS.NO MORE PRAYERS TO HP ELHIM FINDHIS WAY IN THIS RLD.WONO MORE HOPES FOR SNUGGLING WITHHIS BAESBI.JUST NO MORE.READING SPEECH FROM ANDREW'SFUNEL RATRACK: WORDS READ -- AT AFUNERAL...SOT: "HE WAS SO SMART IT WASTERRIFYING."UGHSLATRACK: SHARED AGAIN -- WITHPEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND, BETTERTHAN MOST.SOT: "ANDREW WAS A DABBLER.HE WAS NOT ADDICTED.HE DIDN'T NEED DRUGS TO SURVIVEOR GET THROUGH THE DAY, BUT HEWOULD EXPERIMENT FOR SURE."TRACK: LEEANN BLASKOWSKY --ANDREW'S STEPMOM...SAYS WHILE THE REST OF THE WORLDWAS GETTING READY FOR THE FIRSTCOVID LOCKDOWN...SHE WAS REELING -- FROM THEDEATH OF HER SON.SOT: HE THOUGHT HE HAD A XANAX,AND WHEN THEY FOUND HIM, HEACTUALLY STILL HAD HALF A PILLIN HIS POCKET.IT WAS ONLY A HALF A PIL" L.TRACK: A REALITY -- CONNECTINGHER WITH MATT RIVIERE...WHO SAYS HIS SONS -- ANDREW ANDEPSTHEN -- DIED IN THEIRCOLORADO SPRINGS APARTMENT JUSTTWO MONTHS AGO -- AFTER BUYINGWHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS OXYCODONE.SOT: "MY KIDS WENT THROUGHNE OPILL, KILLED BOTH MY KIDS."TRACK: AND IN MIAPD-RIL OF THISYEAR..YET ANOTHER FAMILY - LOST A N.SOSOT: "IT WAS COCAINE CUT WH ITFENTANYL."TRACK: TEVIN DIEDRICH WASNINETEEN...HE AND HIS DAD, JOE, WORKED ATTHE SAME COMPA..NY.AND ONE DAY, TEVIN DIDN'T SHOW.

UPJOE WAS THE ONE, WHO FOUND HIM.T:SO "FIRST I JUST STARTEDYELLING AT HIM, THEN IAS WSCREAMING AT HIM, AND THEN LE IKIT JUST KEPT ESCALATING FROMTHERE BECAUSE THEN I'M STARTG INTO REALIZE WHAT I'M ACTUALLYSEEING...AND THEN THE SECOND THAT ITOUCHED HIM, YOU KNOW, I KNEW."TRACK: NOW EVERYWHERE HE LOOKS-- HE SEES ANOTHER FAMILY,LIVING WITH A SIMILAR TRAGEDY.SOT: "THIS SHOULD BE ON E THFRONT PAGE OF EVERYTHING, THISIS AS BIG AS IT GE.

TSWE'RE LOSING OUR YOUTH." TRA: CKTHE THREE -- ALL MET IN MATT'SHOME FOR THE FIRST TIME...DEALING WITH GRIEF, IN THEIR OWNWAY.SOT: "I'M STILL A DAD, THEREY'STILL MY SONS, AND I'M JUSTGRATEFUL THAT I HAD TIME WITHTHEM ALTHOUGH IT WAS MUCHSHORTER THAN I WANTED IT TO BE."TRACK: AND DECIDING THEIRMISSION -- IS TO SAVE, OERTHLIVES.SOT: "DEFINITELY GETTING INFRT ONOF KIDS IN HIGH SCHOOLWOULD BE HUGE.I THINK TO SEE PARENTS THAT HAVESUFFEDER THE LOSS DIRECTLY ANDHEAR IT DIRECTLY FROM THEM, THATIT'S MOVING."TRACK: ON MONDAY -- THE D-E-AISSUED A PUBLIC SAFETY ALERTABOUT COUNRFTEEIT PRESCRIPTIONPILLS -- CONTAINING FENTANYL ANDMETH.THERE'S BEEN A HUGE SPIKE IN THEAMOUNT OF FAKE PLSIL WITHILLICIT FENTANYL FOUND IN THECOUNTRY...AND THE D-E-A SAYS TWO OUTF OEVERY FIVE OF THOSE -- HAVE APOTENTIALLY LETHAL DOSE OF THESYNTHETIC OPIOID.SOT: "SO, LETHAL DOSAGOFEFENTANYL IS TWO MILLIGRAMS.SO THINK OF A SHARPENED PENCILTIP, AND BALANCE ON THAT ACOUPLE OF GRAMS OF SALT."TRACK: ASSISTANT SPECIAL AGENTIN CHARGE -- JAMES STROOP --SAYS THE CARTELS AND DRUGTRAFFICKING NETWORKS ARE PREYINGON THE MISUSE OF PRESCRIPTIONOPIOIDS BY AMERICAN SOCIETY.SOT: "IT'S CHEAP TO OBTAIN FROMOVERSEAS, IT'S QUICK AND EASY TOPRODUCE IN MEXICO, AND IT'S EASYTO MOVE ACROSS THE BORDE" R.TRACK: HE SAYS FENTANYL'S BEENFOUND IN NEARLY EVERYTHING --RANGING FROM COCAINE TOCANNAB.

ISSOT: "IT'S PART OF THEIR MASSMARKETING CAMPAIGN TO GET PEOPLEADDICTED TO THE DRUG NO MAERTTWHAT THE COST." TRACK: SO T--HED-E-A HAS A NEW, NATIONWIDECAMPAIGN -- ONE PILL, CAN KILL.SOT: "WITH THE INITIATION OFNE OPILL CAN KILL, THIS COMES FROMOUR HEAR.

TSWE'RE OUT THERE TO SERVE THEAMERICANUB PLIC, AND WE WANT TOSEE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AYSTALIVE."TRACK: EL PASO COUNTY -- HASSEEN A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN THENUMBER OF FENTANYL RELATEDDEATHS -- JUST LIKE THE REST OFTHE COUNTRY...WITH THE COUNTY CORONER SANGYIWE'RE ON A TERRIBLE TRAJECTORY-- AND MAY GO OVER ONE HUNEDDRDEATHS, THIS YEAR.SOT: ANDT' IS JUST A NEVERENDING TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION."TRACK: AND FOR THE PARENTS --WHO'S LIVES HAVE BEEN UPENDED,BY FENTANYL..SOT: "THE STANDARD QUESTION'SALWAYS GOING TO BE WHY.BUT AT THIS INT,PO THE WHYDOESN'T MATTER.IT CAN'T BRING HIM BACK.I JUST WANT HIM TO KNOW THAT ILOVE HIM, AND THAT HE WAS ALYSWALOVED, AND THAT I WOULD HAVEDONE ANYTHING FOR HIM...I JUST WISH HE WAS STILL HERE."TRACK: SHARING THEIR WORDS WITHEACH OTHER -- AND ALL OF US --ISN'T EASY TO DO...SOT: MOVING THROUGH THE DAYS TOCOME, LIFE GOES ON, AT LEAST FORSOME.DOES IT SHOW?

DO THEY KNOWI ?WONDER."TRACK: BROKEN HEAR -- TSHOPINGOTHERS, NOT ONLY LISTEN, BUTLEARN...SOT: "I ALWAYS CARRY LOVE INY MHEART, AND PAIN RIGHT NEXTO TIT."TRACK: GOING FORWARD -- THWITHEIR MEMORIES KEPT CLOSE --SOMETHING FENTANYL- -CAN NER VETAKE FROM USCOLETTE BORDELON REPORTING...COUNTERFEIT PILLWIS TH ILLITICFENTANYL IN THEM CAN BE MADE TOLOOK LIKE PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS-- AND EVEN MEDICATIONS KELIADDERRALL.SO FAR THIS YEAR -- ALMO TENSTTHOUSAND PILLS HAVE BEEN SEIZEDBY THE D-E-A -- THAT'S MORE ANTHTHE PAST TWO Y