The death of a Durango 17-year-old boy at his home on March 18 has been ruled an overdose as a result of multiple drug toxicity.
According to redacted Durango Police Department reports, seven officers responded to the north Durango home of the teenager, who was five days from his 18th birthday.
The first officers arriving, Travis Burress and Patrick Jackson, could not find a pulse and began CPR and administered two doses of naloxone. Naloxone can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. It works by blocking opioid drugs from attaching to opioid receptors in the brain.
CPR was taken over by emergency medical technicians when they arrived, but efforts were unsuccessful.
Attempts to reach the teen’s family were unsuccessful this week.
To protect privacy, Julie Popp, spokeswoman for Durango School District 9-R, would not comment about specific students’ deaths or incidents of deaths.
However, she said in the case of a student’s death, the district provides crisis counseling teams, other counselors and social workers to aid students and staff members at the school and for the family.
The district also encourages the use of Safe2Tell, a statewide support network designed to help students in crisis.
The district also aids teachers and staff members to assist them in discussing deaths with students.
The district follows recommendations provided by the National Association of School Psychologists and the National Center for School Crisis & Bereavement in dealing with grief.
Also, a letter from the school principal informing families of a student’s death is sent to families.
The letter informs families and students that special counseling services will be made available during the week and longer if any student continues to need support.
An autopsy report released Friday showed cocaine, Fentanyl and Norfentanyl in the teen’s blood and urine.
Officer Jackson discovered a computer motherboard box under the boy’s bed that contained suspected cocaine, Xanax, a scale and multiple small plastic bags. The plastic bags contained empty pill capsules with residue in them.
According to police reports, one of teen’s parents discovered him unconscious in his room about 11 p.m. March 17.
Parents told police that their son had been using drugs since he was about 13 years old and drug usage was increasing and getting out of control.
Earlier in the day, the parents told officers they had argued with their son about entering drug rehabilitation. The parents said he was refusing to enter drug rehabilitation, which was planned to begin March 23, his 18th birthday.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
