Parents of children addicted to drugs, some who died from overdoses, gathered at the Palomar Street Transit Center to draw attention to the problem. NBC 7’s Dave Summers reports.
Parents of children addicted to drugs — some who died from overdoses — gathered in the South Bay on Friday night to draw attention to the problem.
Dozens of people met at the Palomar Street Transit Center in Chula Vista, where a teenager died of a fentanyl overdose in January.
"My world turned upside down," parent Jeanette Gallardo said. "When she was on the news, it was a sketch of her."
Gallardo's teenage daughter, Jaylin Perez, was last seen alive on a security video at the transit center on Jan. 10. Gallardo says Perez can be seen smoking fentanyl and then collapsing.
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Perez was found dead, slumped over at the edge of the transit center. There was car and pedestrian traffic, and security is constantly monitoring the lot — still she was not found for four hours, the security video shows.
"It's a void inside me that nothing or no one will ever fill," Gallardo said. "It hurts to the core of my soul."
Gallardo's misery is shared with the 75-plus parents and Chula Vista residents at Friday's memorial at the transit center. They prayed and shared their stories and support.
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"What helps me more is helping other people out here," organizer Sylvia Irigoyen said.
Irigoyen's 34-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Torres, had to be put on life support after overdosing on drugs last September.
“One day the hospital called me to say that they found her, and she was brain dead,“ Irigoyen said.
Torres died shortly after. That was four months before Perez.
A spokesperson for District 4 tells NBC 7 that he can’t exactly quantify the problem but says two overdose deaths in four months is alarming.
“It’s horrible," Gallardo said. "They need more monitoring, especially in these places."
“I have people waiting to get into detox, but there are no beds. No availability," Irigoyen said.
The district spokesperson agrees that resources are lacking but says the city is looking for a regional solution.
There is no shortage, however, of sad stories.
“A lot of overdoses," Gallardo said. "These young children, especially the youth. Everyone is dying."
After Perez was found, it took another three weeks and a sketch made by the Medical Examiner’s office to identify her.
