Following son's death, mother fights fentanyl

BRATTLEBORO — Edward Wesley Hernandez was found dead Aug. 29.

"They say he died 24 to 36 hours before," his mother Dale Joy said.

Hernandez was 46 and lived on Elliot Street in Brattleboro, according to his death certificate. The cause of death was determined to be "acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, hydrocodone and ethanol."

"All heroin is fentanyl now," said Brattleboro Police Department Det. Joshua Lynde, who led the investigation. "All these little bags people are buying now are fentanyl. And the ethanol is just alcohol."

In Lynde's observation, the presence of fentanyl in place of heroin has been seen for more than a year now in Brattleboro. He noted the drug produces a much stronger high for users.

"Every time someone dies of fentanyl, they need to alert the community," Joy told the Select Board on Oct. 15. "These people with drug addiction have an attention span much shorter than average."

With warnings, Joy said, "they have a chance."

"There is no more just heroin," she added. "It is fentanyl and it is going to kill you."

Joy said one of Hernandez's coworkers found him. Since Hernandez could not drive due to driving under the influence charges, he would get rides to work.

"He's got great work ethics just like his sister and I have," said Joy.

Hernandez's occupation was listed on the death certificate as "carpenter" and his industry was "construction."

Joy recalled getting to the scene at least an hour after the police had arrived. Police told Joy the death appeared to be an overdose. Lynde called the case and those like it "sad."

"They all have their different ways of how they came to us but there was nothing suspicious about it," he said.

SIGNS OF TROUBLE

Joy said one night in 2009, her son came out of his bedroom acting strange and told her, "I'm really depressed. I'm having a hard time. I think I'm dying."

She said Hernandez leaned against the wall and slid down into a chair. Joy picked him up and began walking him around. She took him to the kitchen, made him some coffee and made calls to a hotline for drug addiction. She talked to a social worker. She worried jail would only make things worse.

Joy said she threatened to have her son arrested if he did not enter rehab. But when he got out, he went right back to the drugs.

In 2010, Hernandez had "these little things that look like a Hershey Kiss but they were a lot smaller," Joy said, describing a mix of heroin and cocaine, which he told her made him feel better.

"He had very poor self-esteem," she said. "And part of it is my fault. I'm his parent. I'm the one who raised him. I was not a good parent because I had problems with drinking and doing drugs right up until I was 24. Then I said, 'This is stupid,' you know? I understood that low self-esteem but I didn't understand it to the point of this hardcore addiction he had."

Joy's son was born in 1972. She said she stopped doing drugs but her son was still exposed to people who were.

"Of course, my family and his friends and all that, they didn't think anything was wrong with him — really wrong," Joy said. "Everybody else was doing it so it was OK."

She recalled her son going "rapidly downhill" in the last two years. She described his apartment looking like "a hoarder's nest." She said she could not talk to him because she was afraid of him.

About five days before his death, Hernandez had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault and domestic assault. Joy said he planned to go to trial to fight the charges.

In addition to being a musician, Hernandez also was a body builder. He was taking steroids, Joy said.

"They call it cycling where they go through that real belligerent attitude," she said. "They're so hyped up on steroids that they just can't think straight, do things normally, and that lasts two to four months while they're doing that. Once they get their body looking great again — no flab, no fat — then they stop again."

Now, Joy wishes she had done an intervention even without the help of other family members.

"The hardest thing right now is that the police are taking it in a nonchalant manner like, 'Oh it's another drug addict gone,' instead of, 'How do we work with this? How do we pull these people back together when they can't even get their family or friends to do an intervention?'" Joy said. "And it isn't really the police's fault."

KEEPING IT QUIET

Joy said police and other agencies should be responsible for notifying the public when fentanyl is known to be in the community.

I knew this guy..Jose.

his full name

18 weeks 1 day after his death this comes out..

18/1..181

he died (he was found dead) 60 days before his 47th b-day

his full name ..113..overdose=113..113/30th prime

cause of death..

"acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, hydrocodone and ethanol"

730/73...Sacrifice=73
                                                          ..also 1106..116..

targeting black people

no diff between heroin and fentanyl
Fentanyl associated with death and murder...

Heroin associated with Saturn

His mom is. named... Dale Joy

207/27

He was born in '72..the reflection of 27
his Mom...

36 the reflection of 63
Jose Hernandez and drug overdose

Jose Hernandez=144..72+72

born on 10-28-1972

born with 38 numerology...10+28=38
death,murder, killing=38

born with 30 numerology...1+0+2+8+1+9+7+2=30...Heroin=30..Saturn=30..Nigger=30
very likely he died on a day with 30 numerology..8+2+8+2+0+1+9=30
his body was found on a day with 31 numerology..8+2+9+2+0+1+9=31

He was born on the 301st day..301/31

Kill=64..he died at age 46..sacrifice=46

the headline.."Following son's death, mother fights fentanyl"=563/103rd prime..211/47th prime