Fentanyl overdose arrest: Mother reacts to Gwinnett County woman’s arrest
Cara Edelkind (Gwinnett County Police Department)
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Gwinnett County police have charged a woman with murder after they say the fentanyl-laced drugs she sold led to a man's fatal overdose.
Cara Edelkind is facing charges of aggravated involuntary manslaughter for a fentanyl overdose death, felony murder, and the sale of a controlled substance.
According to police, officers responded to a medical call on May 20 at a home on the 2000 block of Clear View Drive in Snellville.
When officers got to the scene, they found Jaspen Screws unconscious inside the home. Medics rushed Screws to a local hospital, where he later died.
During their investigation, officials say they learned Screws had died from a fentanyl overdose and connected the drugs with Edelkind.
"We consider selling drugs laced with fentanyl extremely dangerous," said Sgt. Collin Flynn with the Gwinnett County Police Department.
The case remains under investigation. If you have any information that could help, contact Gwinnett County detectives at (770) 513-5300 or Crime Stoppers at (404) 577-8477.
Mother of fentanyl overdose victim
Monique Gosha says there is nothing that can bring justice after her son died from taking fentanyl-laced drugs.
"I’m just taking it day by day," she said.
She says the agony is just too great to bear.
"It’s even hard to talk about it really," she said.
Gosha shared the grief she has been facing since she learned about the death in May.
"My daughter called me and said he was in the hospital," she said.
She rushed the more than two hours from Columbus to Gwinnett County to be by his side.
"I was just praying that he’d be okay," she said.
Her son died at the hospital. An autopsy would reveal the fentanyl overdose.
"It just was unreal," she said.
Gosha described her son as funny and smart. His death has left a gaping emotional wound that she says will never heal.
"I just know my son is not here anymore, and we’re hurting about it," she said.
Austin's Law explained
Austin’s Law, introduced as Senate Bill 465, was signed into law on April 30. The legislation is aimed at combating the fentanyl crisis by addressing the sale and distribution of illicit substances.
"If you sell somebody drugs that do contain fentanyl and that results in somebody dying from an overdose, you can still be charged, whether you knew the drugs contained fentanyl or not," said Sgt. Flynn.
It is designed to ensure that those trafficking fentanyl and other dangerous drugs are fully prosecuted.