The family of a University Heights man who died of a suspected fentanyl overdose is speaking out about the impact the synthetic opioid has on not just those who use it.
Earlier this month, 35-year-old Zack Whalen and an unidentified woman were found unresponsive in an apartment on Louisiana Street and died. Two other men who were also found unresponsive were revived with the overdose-reversing drug Narcan.
"I personally have seen the inside of what it can do to a loving family and it’s not easy," Zack's sister Sarah Whalen said. Sarah Whalen said her mother survived opioid use.
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"Seeing your mom kind of just lost, staring at a wall, you know, it makes you feel even worse," she said.
Zack Whalen died Nov. 10, and while his official cause of death hasn't been determined, the DEA says fentanyl was found in the apartment.
"It was very much a surprise. I don’t think he would have willingly taken fentanyl," Sarah Whalen said.
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Zack Whalen was an on-and-off meth user but went sober two years at a time, according to his sister. She said he was a full-time student at Cal State San Marcos studying to be a psychologist, and before that he worked at a rehab center helping recovering addicts find homes and jobs.
His other passion was her 5-year-old son, Jaylen.
"That is his only nephew and he wanted to keep that relationship open as much as he could," she said.
Sarah found out about her brother’s death after a friend sent her video of two people being wheeled out of the University Heights apartment on a stretcher.
"It’s almost like you can’t breathe. I was almost erratic. I went up banging until his roommate opened the door," she remembered. She said she's still trying to get over the shock.
"You don’t know what to do. What do I do now? What’s next?" she said.
The San Diego Police Department is investigating the incident as a homicide. Sarah Whalen said she doesn’t expect the full coroner’s report for six to nine months.
On Tuesday San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria announced an executive order directing police to crack down on fentanyl sale-related crimes.
