Carey, 1978-2016

By Chester Dunbar

On April 23, 2016, a very dear and close family member passed away due to someone slipping something into her beverage. The family member’s name is Carey and for her protection, no last name will be given. The substance that killed Carey is called gamma-hydroxybutric acid (GHB), also known as the “date rape drug.” The purpose of this story is to shed light out in the world for others’ protection.

On April 22, Carey, a 38-year-old beautiful, inspiring actress and model, went out to a club with some friends. Carey was going out just to have some fun like we all do, not expecting to die. Carey had never done drugs in her life and was always the designated driver. Since Carey did not even drink alcoholic beverages, she ordered a “Shirley Temple.” Then, Carey and her girlfriends went out to the dance floor, not thinking to bring their beverages with them. After dancing for a few minutes, the girls went to grab their drinks because they were thirsty, not knowing Carey’s drink had been tainted.

Arthur Simonetti, a local doctor, said, “GHB is an odorless and tasteless drug, making it very easy for someone to slip the drug into a drink without the person not knowing until it is too late. It is a very common thing to see in the hospitals and morgues.”

Well, that is exactly what happened to Carey. She never realized something was put in her drink until it was too late. Carey knew better to drive tired, so she left her car at the club overnight thinking she would come back the next day to pick it up. Carey took an Uber ride home and went to bed. When Carey’s roommate went to wake her up the next morning for work, he found her blue and life less. John, her roommate, said, “I heard Carey come in last night around midnight and I did not think anything was wrong, or I would have called the paramedics to come and help her.” John called the paramedics and they came to the house. The paramedics could not do anything for Carey because it was too late. The coroner was called to come get Carey and take her straight to the morgue. My stepmother got the call no one wants to receive that her daughter was dead and could she please come and identify Carey’s body. The best the coroner could offer in explanation was, “We will do an autopsy, but we will not have the autopsy results back for 7-10 days.”

This left the family worrying and grieving for two weeks.  Finally, my stepmother found out that Carey had died of a drug overdose in her sleep. My stepmother questioned the coroner, letting the corner know that Carey did not do drugs. The family was really heart broken. Nancy, my stepmother, said, “This is totally out of character for my daughter. What was in her system that killed her?” The response from the coroner was that there were very high levels of GHB in her blood.

The drug not only killed my sister, but is killing my family. We don’t know understand who would do this or why would they do this. There is an ongoing investigation still to try to find the person that murdered my sister. The reason I am sharing this story is to urge everyone to be aware of their surroundings and not to put their drinks down anywhere. I do not want you to be a statistic of the “date rape drug.” Rest in peace, Carey.

Header photo by Patrick Haney (flickr creative commons)