[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-504984-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-504984-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","rebecca-kiessling-testimony-on-fentanyl-poisoning-deaths","Rebecca Kiessling - Testimony on Fentanyl Poisoning Deaths","","Testimony by Rebecca Kiessling recounts the July 29, 2020 deaths of her sons, Caleb (20) and Kyler (18), and Sophia Harris, caused by counterfeit Percocets containing deadly fentanyl. She contrasts national statistics on “drug overdose” with the specific reality of fentanyl poisoning, explains how adulterated pills spread through many street drugs, and highlights the impact of misclassification by a medical examiner. She also addresses public stigma, arguing addiction as illness and calling for urgent policy action to prevent further deaths.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/rebecca-kiessling-testimony-on-fentanyl-poisoning-deaths/504984/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/rebecca-kiessling-testimony-on-fentanyl-poisoning-deaths/504984.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Logic","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-23","2026-10-04",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What happened to Rebecca Kiessling’s sons on July 29, 2020?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Her sons Caleb and Kyler were killed by fentanyl poisoning after receiving fake Percocets that turned out to contain deadly fentanyl.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Why does Kiessling object to the phrase “drug overdose”?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"She says her sons did not die from overdosing on the specific drug they thought they had; they died from fentanyl poisoning, a critical distinction.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What did the autopsy reports conclude, and why is Kiessling concerned?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The reports listed “cause of death: drug abuse” and “manner of death: undeterminable,” which she believes conflicts with toxicology showing fentanyl and pulmonary edema.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},504984,1792110414,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,109,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},40,"healthcare",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":55,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":33,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":123,"preview_page_count":4},1099513958762,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1000023916a998db790?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1784791008015729253","Mr. Chair and members of the Committee, I’m Rebecca Kiessling, mother of Caleb (forever 20) and Kyler (forever 18), as well as mother to 3 teenaged daughters. I’m also an attorney, activist, and international speaker. I testify on other types of legislation in state legislatures all over the U.S. and always dreamed of testifying at a Congressional hearing one day, but I never thought it would be on this topic. My sons Caleb and Kyler were killed on July 29, 2020 by fentanyl poisoning along with 17 year old Sophia Harris, when the fake Percocets they were given turned out to be deadly fentanyl – murder pills. My son Kyler had five times the amount in his system which would have been enough to kill.  \nI miss Caleb and Kyler so much!!! Life is so unfair. I remember telling them so many times as they played Call of Duty-even just days before they died- \"Life isn't like a video game. You don't get another chance. \" We had so many good times together. I want to remember them for how they lived, not how they died. I try to remember the good times and positive things and I like to share stories of happy memories. But I’ve been asked to testify since the story of their deaths actually made national news, with three young people being killed at once. So here I am sharing the most painful story, retelling how they died in order that other lives may be saved and other moms, dads and their many friends may be spared the pain of such a senseless slaughter.  \nThe year Caleb was born – 2000, there were approximately 20,000 drug-related deaths in the U.S. The year they died – 2020, there were over 100,000 . And according to the CDC,“in 2021, 106,699 drug overdose deaths occurred.” The problem I have with that statement, that phrase “drug overdose”, is that my 2 sons didn't die from overdosing on the drug they thought they had. They didn't die from an overdose of Percocets. \"A drug overdose is taking too much of a substance, whether it’s prescription, over-the-counter, legal, or illegal.\" As with most drug deaths now, my sons died from fentanyl poisoning, which is an extremely important distinction. The death rates have skyrocketed not because people are taking too much of their \"drug of choice,\" though of course some do. Instead what's happening with the drug epidemic is that the substances are not what they think they're getting and the drug dealers are giving them fake pills with deadly fentanyl, or fentanyl added to cocaine, heroine, meth, Marijuana, and even planted in their drinks. It's put in every drug available on the streets. And, as we’ve seen in numerous news reports, it’s even being hidden in candies such as Skittles, Nerds and Sweettarts, coined“rainbow fentanyl” which has been seized in more than two dozen states.  \nChina and the Mexican cartels are not trying to create drug addicts – they trying and succeeding at killing off our people – primarily young men. If we were in a traditional war with over 100,000 dying each year from guns and bombs, our citizenry would be demanding that Congress and the President put an end to the war. But because too many people see children like Caleb and Kyler as “drug addicts”, ending this war is not made the top mission. One pill can kill – that’s the name of a campaign to raise awareness because it’s often a first time experimenting with drugs that a child dies from fentanyl. In many drug seizures, 3 out of 5 pills had a lethal dose of fentanyl.  \nSince 1999, drug deaths have increased 450%, primarily because of fentanyl poisoning. The world is a different place now... According to the CDC, the rate of drug deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone – meaning fentanyl-increased 22% between 2020 and 2021. One death from fentanyl coming over the border should be enough to sound the alarm, yet, it’s just getting worse.  \nAlmost two months after their deaths, I received their autopsy reports. I tried avoid seeing certain things by scanning down for the toxicology reports, but unfortunat","cbCaimHV3VZX16xE","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaimHV3VZX16xE","pdf",102212,"English","# Opening and personal background\n## Family loss and national attention\n# Timeline and drug death statistics\n## 2000 vs. 2020 figures\n# Distinguishing fentanyl poisoning from overdose\n## Fake pills and hidden fentanyl sources\n# Policy and awareness messages\n## “One pill can kill” campaign\n# Autopsy results and classification concerns\n## Cause and manner of death disputes\n# Stigma, choice, and addiction as illness","[{\"question\":\"What happened to Rebecca Kiessling’s sons on July 29, 2020?\",\"answer\":\"Her sons Caleb and Kyler were killed by fentanyl poisoning after receiving fake Percocets that turned out to contain deadly fentanyl.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does Kiessling object to the phrase “drug overdose”?\",\"answer\":\"She says her sons did not die from overdosing on the specific drug they thought they had; they died from fentanyl poisoning, a critical distinction.\"},{\"question\":\"What did the autopsy reports conclude, and why is Kiessling concerned?\",\"answer\":\"The reports listed “cause of death: drug abuse” and “manner of death: undeterminable,” which she believes conflicts with toxicology showing fentanyl and pulmonary edema.\"}]","Rebecca Kiessling - Testimony on Fentanyl Poisoning Deaths | PDF",1791083330]