They were siblings and best friends, but right now, Jacob Conley’s still trying accept that his sister is gone.
“I think about her a lot,” he said. “I always thought I would die before my little sister.”
A typical 15 year old-girl that’s how Jacob describes Faithe. He says she was with a friend in February when she ingested a pill. She died that same day.
According to an autopsy, Faithe died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl.
“ I didn’t want to believe it at first,” he said. “I was devastated – I was like 'naw, this could not happen.'”
Last week, Will County prosecutors charged Dametreas Triplett with drug-induced homicide and delivery of a controlled substance. Jacob accuses him of being a drug dealer.
“You think she is the only kid he sold pills to – no,” he said. “These drug dealers don’t care. They are trying to make a buck. They will sell fentanyl to the grandmas these days.”
Local
The CDC study said its crucial to educate teenagers on the dangers of fentanyl and to expand access to naloxone, a drug that can reverse an overdose.
The National Association of Attorneys General says prosecuting overdose deaths as homicides will not be the silver bullet to the public health crisis, but the group says it is still useful, calling it one tool in the law enforcement arsenal which, if used appropriately, can assist locally in focusing on the drug dealers.
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A Will County Judge set bail for Triplett at $500,000. He remains incarcerated at the Will County Adult Detention Facility on previous charges.
