A California mother is heartbroken after discovering her 16-year-old daughter, Jenna , dead on her bedroom floor—just ten months after her 18-year-old son, Tyler, was found in the same tragic circumstances. Both children ingested deadly fentanyl.
The Gordon family is devastated, with the mother sharing her anguish over losing two children to counterfeit drugs. She reported that Tyler and Jenna had each purchased fake Xanax and Percocet through Snapchat, leading to their fatal overdoses.
Tyler was found unconscious on April 23, 2020, at around 9 a.m., while Jenna's lifeless body was discovered on February 24, 2021.
The pills were full of the synthetic opioid 100 times more potent than morphine, that's been steadily killing more people every year.
The kids still grieving mother, Tammy Lyon-Gordon, told KTLA, "This never should have happened. It still doesn't seem real to me."
Unfortunately, Lyon-Gordon is part of a growing group of moms who have lost their children to the drug. Fentanyl-related deaths rose from 2019 to 2022, with 107,941 drug overdose deaths reported in 2022, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
She referred to the lethal drug as an 'invisible killer,' emphasizing that neither of her children knew they were taking fentanyl and simply thought they were getting regular pills - also illegal and unhealthy, but not usually fatal.
"To have them die at home, a place they felt safe haunts me every day," cried the mother after their deaths. Now, years later, she's warning other parents to keep an eye on what their children are doing and talk to them about the dangers of taking random drugs.
"I’m living with the worst pain possible. Speak with your kids about the dangers. Don’t lose them to this drug," Lynn-Gordon says.
The teenage girl, Jenna, was found alongside her boyfriend, Raymond Gene Tyrrell II. They were discovered unconscious after reportedly taking counterfeit Percocet that turned out to be pure fentanyl. Jenna did not survive, despite being rushed to hospital. Her boyfriend did.
Charges quickly followed as Tyrrell was accused of murder by an aggressive Riverside County District Attorney's Office determined to fight those distributing fentanyl. The jury, however, convicted him only of involuntary manslaughter, and a sentence of three years was handed down as reported by the San Bernardino Sun.
Following the trial, Lyon-Gordon expressed her disappointment in the jurys verdict. "To say I am devastated about the jury's verdict is an understatement." The mother says she's lost 95 lbs since her daughter was killed, because of anxiety and depression. She added that her entire life's purpose was taken along with her children.
Before his untimely death, Tyler had begun working at the same company as his mother. Despite his short tenure, management had already considered promoting him. Tyler also had plans to attend Mt. Saint Jacinto College and then transfer to Cal State Fullerton, where his girlfriend was studying, to pursue music production.
In a twist, it turns out the young man had battled opioid addiction before and completed outpatient treatment and group therapy for drugs before it all came to an abrupt end.
Lyon-Gordon recounted to Mercury News how her son detoxed in 2019, and she believed he remained clean up until the tragedy, saying, "He was busy. He was working. So for Tyler, I honestly think he was in such a good place that he thought, 'Hey, it's not going to hurt me.'"
She admits she missed the warning signs. Now she's urging all other parents to pay attention and warning kids not to buy pills from unknown or even known sellers, as her daughter got the pills from her boyfriend, whom she trusted.
The boyfriend meant well, too, despite the tragedy that occurred. Tyrrell, Jenna's partner, said he was 'deeply sorry' for his actions and any role he played in Kenna's death.
"I did care about Jenna and never would have done anything to hurt her, I am sorry for any pain I have caused her family and friends," said Tyrrell in a statement read by his attorney at the time of the trial.
"I will attend drug treatment because I know I will fight this the rest of my life. If I can save someone else from drugs, I pledge to do that too."
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