Maryland mum Kate Jones searches for clues after kids Skylar (14) and Gaige (10) die from fentanyl overdose
A mother is searching for answers more than a year after her two children — aged 10 and 14 — died of an accidental fentanyl overdose.
Kate Jones, who lives in Maryland in the US, was working as a truck driver on January 16, 2024 when she received a text from her 12-year-old daughter Allyson that would change her life forever.
The young girl told her mum that her two siblings, 14-year-old Skylar and 10-year-old Gaige — were still in bed and she had been unable to wake them.
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She raced home but tragically, it was too late to save her kids.
“I get to the house, I run up the steps. I opened the door and I looked in, and of course I knew — a 12-year-old little girl’s not going to know, but I knew,” she said.
Allyson also rang 911 but paramedics were unable to save Skylar and Gaige.
Toxicology results revealed the pair had died from an accidental fentanyl overdose. Police seized what they called drug paraphernalia from the scene, which Ms Jones said was a ‘baggie’ — a small plastic bag used to store drugs.
“When they told me what they found, I knew,” she said.
“It was some kind of overdose. My son was 10 and my daughter was only 14. Nobody expects to hear that your babies have fentanyl in their system.”
More than a year on, Ms Jones said she had no idea where or how her kids procured the drugs — but she suspected it may have been from another student.
Maryland State Police are still investigating the deaths.
Her mum Kathy told people.com that her daughter had been struggling since the tragedy.
She is receiving treatment for mental health issues and is working towards getting better so she can be with her remaining child Allyson.
“She’s struggling,” Kathy said of Kate.
“She went from a mother of three to a mother of one, and her and Skylar were very tight.”
The family was struck by another tragedy when Gaige’s biological father James died by suicide in November 2024.
Ms Jones said James was also very close to Skylar and struggled with depression after the death of the two children.
She urged parents to make the most of the time they spent with their kids.
“It could be your kid any day. Your kid could be just an honour roll student in AP classes,” she says.
“Your son could be just playing on monkey bars or skating or riding his bike with his friends the day before and then ... you just never know.”
