Families of loved ones who died from fentanyl poisoning push for justice

CONCORD, N.C. — Families in Cabarrus County are pushing for justice for loved ones who have died from fentanyl.

Beth Abernathy said her son, Marshall Abbott, died due to fentanyl poisoning last year one day before his 30th birthday.

She attended a pretrial hearing Tuesday for Aaron Furr at the Cabarrus County Courthouse. Furr was charged in connection with the death.

Furr is one of five people in Cabarrus County who have been charged with felony death by distribution since the law went into effect in 2019.

Abernathy said her son’s case is now bigger than just him. His day in court represents all the victims who won’t get one.”

“If we don’t fight, who will?” Abernathy said. “We want Marshall’s case to be seen. We want everyone to know what happened to our son, but we also want everyone to know what happened to everyone else’s children.”

Thousands of people in North Carolina have died by fentanyl but in many cases, their cases will never have a day in court. Since 2017, nearly 300 people have died from the drug in Cabarrus County.

‘Fentanyl doesn’t always kill in the same way,” said Barb Walsh, with the Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina. “My daughter simply drank a bottle of water it had the label in tack on it, and she died immediately because it contained eight nanograms of fentanyl.”

Furr did not want to talk on camera after his hearing.

VIDEO: Concord mother searches for justice after son dies from fentanyl exposure

Concord mother searches for justice after son dies from fentanyl exposure

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