WNY family speaks out about losing loved one to fentanyl poisoning

Christina Olivencia is speaking out about the death of a loved one who took cocaine that he didn't know was laced with fentanyl.

“It's painful. It's devastating," Olivencia told me. "I'm angry all of the time because he’s not here. I'm angry every time I watch my daughter cry herself to sleep at night.”

On August 19, 2023, Olivencia got a call from her then 8-year-old daughter Danica. She was staying at the Buffalo home of her father, Robert "Robbie" Chimera, who was Olivencia's longtime boyfriend. Danica told her mother that she couldn't wake up her father and Olivencia rushed to the house. She found him unresponsive on a couch.

"He was gone. He had already passed away," Olivencia said.

It turned out that a woman had sold him cocaine which was laced with fentanyl.

Last week, Ashley Holmes, 36, of Kenmore was sentenced to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison after pleading guilty to criminally negligent homicide . That was the highest charge prosecutors could pursue against her according to New York law.

Michael Keane, the acting Erie County District Attorney, said he supports proposed legislation that would raise a fatal fentanyl poisoning to second-degree manslaughter. That would carry a maximum prison term of 15 years.

“The laws have to evolve," Keane said. "Fentanyl didn't exist in this way 10 years ago. And it's about time that the legislation caught up with the drug problem that we have.”

Olivencia agrees.

“She will be out before my daughter even graduates grammar school and that's sad," she said.

Friday is International Overdose Awareness Day.

Erie County is marking the day with two events.

• From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of Old County Hall, 92 Franklin Street, a memorial display will be set up. Families have been invited to submit photos of loved ones lost to overdose.
• From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Northwest Buffalo Community Center at 155 Lawn Ave., additional activities are planned. Names of the lost will be read at 6 p.m.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use disorder, you can the National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP or the Erie County 24-hour Addiction Helpline at 716-831-7007.
The ECDOH said it offers harm reduction supplies and peer support and you call (716) 858-7695 for those resources. Other ways to reduce the risk of harm from drug use include:

• Carry Narcan , and know how and when to use it. Text (716) 225-5473 to have Narcan and fentanyl test strips mailed to you for free. Narcan is always available in the lobby of the Rath Building in Buffalo. MATTERS Network also has Narcan vending machines in Western New York .
• Never use alone . Have Narcan and a friend with you who is not using drugs, or contact a service like Never Use Alone .
• Test your drugs for fentanyl even if you think it is cocaine or another substance that is not an opioid. Free test strips available from the Erie County Department of Health. Call (716) 858-7695.
• Seek support . ECDOH has peer navigators and a family coordinator; call (716) 858-7695. The Buffalo & Erie County Addictions Hotline is available 24/7 with referrals for individuals and their families. Call (716) 831-7007.
• Seek treatment. Local hospital emergency departments can connect patients to immediate medication addiction treatment. Ask for MATTERS Network , a service that rapidly refers people with opioid use disorder or people who use opioids to treatment, peer support and medication. Patients can be seen at outpatient treatment agencies within 24 hours; call 800-622-4357 or visit any local emergency department. Virtual emergency department medication addiction treatment services are also available.