In the News
'Happy to Chat' bench aims to get people talking in Lowell
November 1, 2023
By Aaron Curtis
LOWELL — While discussing what has been called a “loneliness epidemic” infecting the nation, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy stated loneliness can pose health risks that are as harmful to a person as smoking 15 cigarettes daily.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan shared this information while introducing her “Let’s Connect” initiative outside the Moody Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon. As part of the initiative, Ryan, along with British Consul General to New England Peter Abbott and Mayor Sokhary Chau, cut a ribbon on a new bench outside the school that will serve as a “Happy to Chat” space.
The bench provides a spot where people of all ages can sit, talk and connect. A plaque mounted to the bench states, “you are welcome to sit and relax if you are open to chatting and hopefully someone will join you.”
“The issue of loneliness and diminished feelings of connectivity has in some way impacted virtually everyone over the past three years,” Ryan said. “It is something that spans generations and has brought on global attention as professionals from health care to government leaders and even professional sports seek a way to bring people together in the age of smartphones and virtual meetings. The launch of this new initiative builds on international best practices while being rooted in the mission of my office to improve public safety through innovative prevention, which includes addressing things like loneliness that impact physical and mental health.”
The bench is modeled after an initiative by England’s Manchester United Football Club. This year, the soccer team installed several “Happy to Chat” benches with the goal to help those dealing with loneliness and isolation. It’s an idea that has developed a global reach, Abbott said.
While addressing the crowd that gathered outside the Moody Elementary School on Wednesday, including dozens of students, Abbott held up a cellphone.
“These give us the illusion that we’re connected,” Abbott said. “You think that if you have all these followers on Instagram, or TikTok or wherever. Well, I think the answer increasingly is that it doesn’t mean you’re connected. … The only way we really connect is face-to-face, like this, in person, in the flesh. That’s why this bench, this initiative, is such a wonderful thing.”
Moody Elementary School Principal Roberta Keefe thanked Ryan for the bench’s placement outside the school on Rogers Street.
“In a world that sometimes can be impacted by negative situations, it’s important to recognize the value of genuine human connection through conversations that promote community, empathy and support,” Keefe said. “I encourage everyone to embrace the spirit of this bench by reaching out to others, especially the elderly, strike up a conversation, make new friends and build relationships.”
Ryan noted the bench’s placement between the school and next door’s Rogers Hall creates an opportunity to bring people of all ages together. Rogers Hall is home to those over the age of 60.
“I hope neighbors, both young and elderly, will sit at this bench and see it as a gesture of peace and patience and that the city is a place in which they feel welcomed,” Chau said.
13 arrested in massive bust after 2-year investigation in Framingham
April 13, 2023
By Mike Sullivan
FRAMINGHAM - Framingham Police helped shut down a massive drug operation that saw more than a kilo of drugs coming into the state each day.
The two-year investigation began in Framingham, but spanned multiple states and required the aid of 20 law enforcement agencies.
"The officers identified the sources of those drugs coming from Worcester and Essex County with the supplies originating in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area," explained Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.
The bust is vast. Police seized approximately six kilograms of fentanyl, two kilograms of cocaine, 15 pounds of methamphetamine, 40 pounds of amphetamine, and 15,000 pressed pills of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Two of the fentanyl kilos were cut with xylazine, which is a tranquilizer.
"If you overdose, Narcan does not work, " explained Framingham Police Detective Sgt. Scott Brown.
"It's completely not effective. It's only an opioid reversal. Xylazine is a tranquilizer, not an opioid," detailed Ryan.
Thirteen people were arrested in connection to the drug ring. Their names and charges are listed below. Investigators said 34-year-old Sandy Marte-Carabello was the center of the operation and worked out of Woburn.
Sandy Marte-Caraballo, 34, of Woburn – Trafficking Fentanyl, Trafficking Cocaine, Trafficking Methamphetamine, Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws.
Osny De La Cruz, 25, of Lawrence – Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws, Trafficking in Fentanyl over 10 grams, Trafficking in Cocaine over 200 grams, Trafficking in Class B amphetamines over 200 grams, and Trafficking in Class B methamphetamines over 200 grams.
Santos Martes, 31, of Peabody – Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws and Trafficking Cocaine over 200 grams.
Bryan Mendez, 28, of Worcester – Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws and Trafficking Cocaine over 200 grams.
Angel Battiata, 27 – Trafficking of a Class B Controlled Substance.
Roberto Castro, 34, of Worcester – Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws
Joshua Fontaine, 30, of Worcester – Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws, Trafficking in Cocaine over 36 grams, Trafficking in Methamphetamine over 36 grams.
Charles Johnston, 62, of Ashland, and Crystal Trauterman, 40, of Ashland – Possession with intent to distribute Class B Controlled Substance (cocaine) and Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws.
Maia Masso, 28, of Framingham – Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws and Trafficking in Cocaine over 36 grams.
Cameron Trudell, 32, of Northbridge – Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws.
Efrain Urena, 32, of Lawrence - Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws and Trafficking Cocaine over 200 grams.
Ana Caraballo, 56, of Worcester - Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws and Trafficking Cocaine over 200 grams.
In addition to the drugs, investigators found a firearm and seized 13 high-priced vehicles. They estimated the value of the cars to be between $800,000 and $1 million.
"A single member boasted, in what we believe to be a truthful boast, that he was making approximately $2 million dollars a year," said Ryan, "Those high-end cars cost a lot of money. Every indication, you can see the amount of cash, we are talking over $200,000 in jewelry, no one is hiding the profits."
"This investigation obviously turned into multiple states, and it's through cooperation that you have this before you today," added Framingham Police Chief Lester Baker, "Everybody has someone in their lives who has been effected by the opioid epidemic. You see the impact of this."
Genetic genealogy and a bottle of Fireball led to arrest of suspected rapist
March 26, 2023
By Shelley Murphy
The man who raped a 22-year-old woman at knifepoint at an Acton train station in 2013 left his DNA during the assault, but his identity remained a mystery for years. Investigators found no matches in law enforcement criminal offender databases, and the case went cold.
Then, in February, authorities announced a major breakthrough: Investigative genetic genealogy — and an open bottle of Fireball cinnamon whiskey — led to the arrest of Christopher Aldrich of Lunenburg.
The 28-year-old Aldrich is charged with aggravated rape, in what Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said is the first prosecution by her office involving investigative genetic genealogy — an innovative technique using commercial genealogy databases that first captured national attention in 2018 when it led to the arrest of the so-called Golden State Killer. Now, police are turning to it more and more to zero in on murderers and rapists and to give names to human remains that were unidentified.
The technique can be expensive and time-consuming and authorities say they will require more resources to expand its use. Meanwhile, privacy advocates have called for more oversight and regulation of law enforcement’s use of databases used by people to trace their roots.
But legal and criminal justice analysts predict investigative genetic genealogy — the technique of identifying criminals and victims by searching genealogy databases for people who share their DNA — will ultimately become a mainstream law enforcement tool.
“It’s changing the way we investigate and solve crimes,” Ryan said in an interview. “It is the wave of the future.”
Massachusetts State Police Colonel John E. Mawn Jr. has asked scientists from the Forensic Services Division to “examine the steps, resources, and policy considerations necessary” to perform this type of testing in-house, according to an agency spokesman.
In Aldrich’s case, prosecutors say, authorities paid Virginia-based Parabon NanoLabs to upload the rape suspect’s DNA profile to a commercial genealogy website, which showed people who shared various amounts of his DNA — indicating whether they were near or distant relatives. Those people had voluntarily submitted their DNA for testing while tracing their ancestry and agreed to share the results with law enforcement. Then, investigators compiled family trees and scrubbed public records and social media, ultimately leading to Aldrich as a potential suspect.
Last fall, with Aldrich now identified as a suspect, Acton police obtained his DNA from a bottle of Fireball seized from his car after he struck a pole and was charged with drunken driving, according to Ryan.
Authorities announced in February that Aldrich’s DNA profile allegedly matched that of the rape suspect. He pleaded not guilty in Concord District Court and is being held while awaiting trial. His lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.
Ryan said her office is currently using genetic genealogy in an effort to solve about a dozen rapes and murders. She said the cost varies, depending on how many DNA tests are required, and it’s generally “multiple thousands of dollars.”
Over the last five years, hundreds of cold cases throughout the country have been solved with genetic genealogy, according to authorities.
In early March, authorities announced they had identified a young woman found shot to death in Granby in 1978. In October, a half century after a woman known only as the “Lady of the Dunes” was brutally murdered in Provincetown, officials announced that she was identified as a Tennessee native.
The technique has also led to breakthroughs in active cases. Several media outlets reported that police used genetic genealogy to identify Bryan Kohberger as a suspect in the murders of four University of Idaho students in November.
Civil rights advocates have been raising privacy concerns about investigative genetic genealogy and called for more regulation over the companies’ databases and oversight of police, labs, and genealogists involved in the process. In 2021, Maryland and Montana became the first states to pass laws restricting law enforcement’s use of genetic genealogy, requiring prior approval from a court and limiting it to certain types of cases.
Only two genealogy companies, GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA, allow law enforcement access to their databases, with restrictions to protect customers’ privacy. Those restrictions were put in place when privacy rights concerns were raised after the Golden State Killer case. Law enforcement officials are required to identify themselves to administrators of the databases in advance, and are shown information only from people who have agreed to share it, according to the companies’ websites.
Erin Murphy, a professor at New York University School of Law and author of “Inside the Cell: The Dark Side of Forensic D.N.A.,” said there’s a lack of accountability and transparency by law enforcement about genetic genealogy investigations, raising concerns about whether the privacy of people who are not suspects is being invaded.
“The problem right now is it’s not regulated so we can’t assume it’s subject to rules that we’ve all agreed on,” said Murphy, noting that when people share their DNA in genealogy websites, they are identifying past, present — and future — relatives.
“When people ask, ‘What’s wrong with capturing murderers?’” Murphy said, “I would ask, ‘At what cost?’”
Kristen Setera, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Boston office, called investigative genealogy “an incredibly important technique” that the FBI is using to generate new leads to help police resolve cold cases. She stressed that when the FBI submits a DNA profile to the genealogy databases, it only gets what any other customer would get: a list of people who are related and the percentage of DNA they share.
Authorities say that restrictions by genealogy companies, as well as Justice Department guidelines issued in 2019, adequately balance privacy rights with the need to solve violent crimes. Those guidelines limit the use of genetic genealogy to homicides, sexual assaults, and violent crimes or attempted violent crimes that pose a threat to public safety or national security.
Barbara Rae-Venter, a genealogist at the vanguard of genetic genealogy technology who helped identify the Golden State Killer, said it would be more difficult to solve the case now because of the restrictions and she doesn’t understand why the capture of a serial killer and rapist triggered a backlash over privacy.
“I had someone tell me that I was violating [the killer’s] privacy. That guy abandoned his DNA all over the state of California. What sort of privacy did he have?” said Rae Venter, who recently authored a book, “I Know Who You Are,” chronicling the cases she helped solve.
Stephen Kramer, a former FBI attorney who led the team that captured the Golden State Killer and who cofounded the FBI’s forensic genetic genealogy team in 2019, said people do not generally have a reasonable expectation of privacy when they voluntarily share their information with the public on social media, including public genealogy websites.
Kramer said genetic genealogy has the potential to solve thousands of cases every year, if police departments create a budget for it and provide training on how to use it.
In 2021, Kramer cofounded Indago, a company that is developing artificial intelligence software to automate the process of building family trees and dramatically reduce the time it takes to identify a suspect.
Colleen Fitzpatrick, founder of Identifinders International, has worked on several hundred cases using genetic genealogy and described the technique as “a real game changer in human identification.”
But, she said, the technology is costly, and not every police department has bought into it. She said costs may start at around $6,500 to identify human remains and $9,000 to identify violent offenders. The price varies, according to experts, depending on how many DNA samples are analyzed, how long it takes a lab to build a DNA profile, and whether genealogy research is done by private companies or law enforcement officials.
One lab in Texas, Ortham, runs a crowdfunding website that raises money for genetic genealogy investigations that help police identify victims. Earlier this month, the lab analyzed the DNA of the woman found shot to death in Granby in 1978 and helped identify her as Patricia Ann Tucker, 28, who vanished after dropping her 5-year-old son off with a babysitter.
“Thank you for never giving up on her,” the woman’s son, Matthew Dale, said in a statement after her identity was announced. “At least I have some answers now after 44 years.”
Two Mass. men arrested in separate cases of assembling 'ghost guns' at their homes
Posted March 7, 2023
By Claire Law
Two men are facing charges in separate incidents related to the making of ghost guns, which cannot traced to an owner, at homes in Burlington and Woburn, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.
Local and State Police have been conducting multiple investigations on the creation and distribution of these unregulated ghost guns, Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan and interim State Police Colonel John E. Mawn Jr. said in a joint statement.
Investigators also recovered parts of guns and the equipment used to make them, the statement said.
Sean O’Connor, 37, of Burlington, was arrested Feb. 9 after police found a loaded Glock-style ghost gun in his car during a traffic stop, the statement said. A search of his home found several completed pistols, the components of uncompleted handguns and AR-15-style rifles, a drill press and other tools for making “ghost guns.”
Vincent Johns, 32, of Woburn, was arrested Feb. 24 during a search of his home, the statement said. Police found a 3D printer actively printing a lower pistol frame, 3D-printed parts such as magazines and pistol frames, suspected counterfeit Xanax pills and binding agents for manufacturing pressed pills.
Massachusetts gun laws do not prohibit the manufacture or assembly of firearms without serial numbers, but legislation that would amend the law to include definitions of “assembly” and “manufacture” is pending, the statement said.
“We will continue to use every tool available to us ... to close the existing loopholes that allow those without a gun license to possess the tools to make ‘do-it-yourself’ firearms,” said Ryan.
Gun parts manufactured with 3D printers are risky to users, Ryan said, in addition to posing a threat to the public.
“Improper assembly or the use of plastic parts makes the guns likely to break apart or fire improperly upon use,” Ryan said, according to the statement.
O’Connor was charged with possessing a firearm without a license, improper storage of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, the statement said, among other charges. He pleaded not guilty on all charges, was ordered committed to Middlesex Jail without bail. His next court date is March 29, court records show.
Johns was charged with possession of a firearm without a license and trafficking firearms, the statement said. He pleaded not guilty on all charges, was ordered committed to Middlesex Jail in lieu of $25,000 cash bail. He is next scheduled to appear in court March 20, court records show.
Video here
DNA identifies suspect in Acton, Massachusetts, 2013 cold case rape, Middlesex DA says
Posted February 21, 2023
By Karen Anderson
ACTON, Mass. —
DNA evidence has identified a suspect in a Massachusetts rape case that went cold for nearly a decade, the Middlesex District Attorney said.
Twenty-eight-year-old Christopher Aldrich from Lunenburg was arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Concord District Court on charges of aggravated rape.
According to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, Aldrich pulled a knife on a woman waiting for a train at the South Acton Commuter Rail Station around 9 p.m. in June of 2013. He forced her to throw away her cell phone and raped her, the DA says.
After the attack, the woman was able to crawl to her phone and call 911. Although police arrived on the scene quickly, Ryan said, they could not find her attacker.
The woman went to the hospital, where evidence was collected in a rape kit, including DNA. Investigators were unable to find a match, and the case went cold until recently.
Video below: DA speaks about how DNA was used to identify suspect
Ryan told 5 Investigates' Karen Anderson that the case was solved using genetic genealogy.
In 2021, investigators sent the DNA to a private lab, which developed a pool of potential persons of interest, and Christopher Aldrich was included in that pool. In November 2022, Aldrich was in a car crash, and investigators obtained his DNA, and testing revealed it was a match.
"That match is one in three sextillion," Ryan said.
Ryan said the county's efforts to solve cold cases extend beyond murders.
"We want to send a clear message for people who have been victimized in a sexual assault and perpetrated them here in Middlesex County. We just don't give up on those cases," Ryan said.
Aldrich was ordered held on $100,000 bail.
Ryan added they are continuing to investigate if he is linked to any unsolved cases, and encourages anyone who has been victimized in a sexual assault case that has not been solved should reach out to the DA's office.
Lunenburg man charged with raping woman at South Acton train station in 2013, DA says
Travis Andersen, Jeremy Fox, February 21, 2023
A 28-year-old Lunenburg man is facing a felony charge for allegedly raping a 22-year-old woman at the South Acton train station at knifepoint in 2013, Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan said.
DNA evidence linked Christopher Aldrich to the alleged crime, Ryan said Tuesday. He was arraigned in Concord District Court on a charge of aggravated rape and ordered held without bail.
He is due back in court March 22. His attorney did not immediately to a request for comment.
The reported assault occurred on June 18, 2013, at the train station, Ryan said.
“She was initially using her cell phone, making a call when she noticed [a] young white man who was not known to her come towards the platform,” Ryan said.
The woman initially assumed Aldrich was also waiting for a train, but he threatened her with a knife and raped her, Ryan alleged.
“There were no surveillance cameras there back in 2013,” Ryan said.
He forced the woman to throw her cellphone away and fled the scene, but she was soon able to find the phone and call 911, Ryan said.
“Police came almost immediately but he had long since fled the area,” Ryan said. “She was transported to a local hospital. She underwent a sexual assault interview and an investigation as the rape kit was collected.”
A DNA profile of the suspect was repeatedly submitted to databases without finding a match, Ryan said. In 2021, the district attorney’s office and police partnered with a lab that can conduct forensic genetic genealogy by matching DNA profiles to those of relatives, Ryan said.
“Through these efforts, Christopher Aldrich was developed as such a person of interest,” Ryan said.
In November, Aldrich was involved in a car accident in Acton. While investigating the crash, police collected items from his car and used them to develop a DNA profile that matched the one developed in 2013, Ryan said.
“The match that was made there determined that the frequency of occurrence of that match in the population is less than one in 3 sextillion individuals — that is a three with 21 zeroes,” Ryan said.
Authorities obtained a warrant for Aldrich’s arrest last week, Ryan said.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan launches task force to address increase in hateful and racist incidents ‘happening in our own backyards’
Updated Aug 26, 2020; Posted Aug 26, 2020
By Jackson Cote | jcote@masslive.com
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced Wednesday that her office has launched a new task force aimed at combatting hateful and racist incidents following a wave of bigoted acts reported in the county in recent months.
Ryan’s “Anti-Hate, Anti-Bias Task Force” will be made up of law enforcement officials, lawmakers, mayors, faith leaders, educators, youth leaders and community advocates in cities and towns across Middlesex County, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office
The task force is expected to identify, address and prevent “hateful, biased and racist” incidents in the county, the statement said.
The creation of the special unit comes as calls for an end to discrimination and racial violence have become widespread in the United States.
Hundreds of demonstrations have been organized in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis in late May.
In the immediate aftermath of Floyd’s death, staff at Ryan’s office began meeting regularly online to discuss the relationships between “law, society, privilege, policing and race,” according to the district attorney.
"As we continue to be engaged in a national conversation about racial equality and bias, it is clear to me that in order to ensure the safety and security for everyone in all of our cities and towns and to live up to our ideals as a commonwealth and a nation, we must act urgently to address the incidents of hate and intolerance happening in our own backyards,” Ryan said in her statement.
The prosecutor noted that she created the task force in response to an increase in hateful acts throughout Middlesex County, the largest county in Massachusetts.
She brought up the defacing of a mural of Floyd in Stoneham, widespread white supremacist vandalism in Arlington, anti-Semitic graffiti in Bedford and the case of a man who drove his truck through a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters in Newton.
Recognizing the impact hateful symbols have, Ryan’s office said it has sought to educate and rehabilitate communities through the Juvenile and Young Adult Diversion Program.
In Bedford, for instance, prosecutors decided to send the juvenile and young man who were responsible for the “anti-Semitic, lewd graffiti” to the restorative justice initiative instead of to jail, Ryan said.
If the individuals fail to complete any of the requirements of the diversion program, they could face criminal vandalism charges, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The decision followed conversations with residents in the town, property owners, faith leaders, police and municipal officials, the district attorney noted.
By bringing together community leaders to address acts of hate and bigotry, Ryan said her office will be able to respond more rapidly to such incidents and recognize trends that will help with education and prevention.
During the task force’s first meeting, held over Zoom on Wednesday, participants were asked to discuss hateful acts that have happened in their own communities and to share the effects of those events.
Moving forward, the prosecutor said, the task force will take a multi-pronged approach to addressing such issues, looking at “education, prevention, intervention, reparation, enforcement and legislation.”
The district attorney’s office has also created the new full-time position of director of racial justice initiatives, according to the district attorney.
The individual will be tasked with identifying problems and develop policies related to policing and race in Middlesex County communities. The person will also work with assistant district attorneys and other staff from the Ryan’s office to address possible racial bias in prosecutions and better track outcomes of cases.
Participants in Wednesday’s task force meeting included staff from the district attorney’s office, Massachusetts State Representatives Jack Lewis, Tram Nguyen, Tami Gouveia and Maria Robinson, Mayors Ruthanne Fuller of Newton and Yvonne Spicer of Framingham, the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) and police departments in Bedford and Natick.
Representatives were also in attendance from the Cambridge Health Alliance, Communities for Restorative Justice (C4RJ), Framingham Public Schools, the Immigrant Learning Center in Malden, McGlynn Middle School in Medford, the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland, Medford Public Schools, REACH Beyond Domestic Violence in Waltham, Saheli Boston in Burlington, the Somerville School Committee, Temple Shalom Emeth in Burlington and UTEC in the Merrimack Valley.
Some inmates released amid coronavirus concerns
Video here
Dated: 6:11 PM EDT Mar 25, 2020
BOSTON — Inmates are starting to be released in Massachusetts over concerns about coronavirus and a civil liberties advocacy group is hoping freedom is granted to many more people who are locked up.
The Massachusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has filed an emergency petition with the state's highest court seeking freedom for large numbers of prisoners who the group argues are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.
More than 40 inmates have been released from the Middlesex County Jail and House of Correction this week. They were all people being held on bail, awaiting trial.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan says she is not taking the decision to release anyone lightly.
“There are obviously some people that we have made an assessment that public safety can still be protected and they can be in a different setting,” Ryan said. “There are also a number of people who, for instance, have already had a dangerousness hearing. They've been adjudged by the court to be dangerous and they are being detained.”
At the Norfolk County House of Corrections, where 5 Investigates documented cleaning efforts underway last week, three inmates have been released so far with more under consideration.
“Releasing 40 people is hardly going to dent what we really need to do to keep the people incarcerated safe and keep ourselves safe,” said Matthew Segal, legal director of the ACLU of Massachusetts.
The ACLU of Massachusetts joined defense attorneys in filing an emergency petition with the state's Supreme Judicial Court to go even further by limiting the number of people taken into custody, releasing people held on pretrial detention, and releasing people held on certain sentences.
“We think it should be a lot of people,” said Segal. “It doesn't make sense for it to be done case by case because time is of the essence.”
The Middlesex DA disagreed.
“You really do need to be making a case by case analysis,” Ryan said.
That is the key question: Who to release and when?
The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office declined to comment when 5 Investigates asked about the number of inmates that have already been released.The SJC has given district attorneys, sheriffs, and other interested parties until Thursday at midnight to respond to the ACLU’s emergency petition.
Middlesex County has reduced the number of overdose deaths by 25% over the last four years.
By Anju Miura / Boston University Statehouse Program
Posted Mar 1, 2020 at 5:29 PM Updated Mar 1, 2020 at 5:30 PM
BOSTON – Middlesex County has reduced the number of overdose deaths by 25% over the last four years, five times greater than the state average of 5%, according to the District Attorney’s Office. And a MetroWest lawmaker says the county’s system and practice to achieve that result can be the state’s model.
The Middlesex Opioid Task Force’s annual survey, released on Feb. 19 during a meeting in Newton, found the number of overdose deaths declined from 251 in 2016 to 184 in 2019. Through mid-February, 24 overdose deaths have been recorded.
Approximately 80% of people who died from overdose last year used substances alone in their houses, said Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan.
The majority of overdose deaths took place in public facilities and cars in 2013 to 2014, but bedrooms became more common over the last two years with an increase of 9% from 2018 to 2019, according to the DA’s office.
In comparison, Massachusetts experienced a 5% drop in opioid-related deaths during the same period, according to an annual report by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. As part of the state’s ongoing effort to deal with the opioid epidemic, Gov. Charlie Baker’s fiscal 2021 budget proposal included more than $328 million, the highest funding than ever to prevent substance misuse and promote recovery by supporting prevention, intervention and treatment.
State Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick, said the county has developed an effective opioid task force as a result of collective effort of area representatives, public health agencies, law enforcement, the district attorney’s office, local police and mental health professionals.
“What is going on now in Middlesex County can be a model for people elsewhere,” said Linsky. “We all are working together to try to combat this crisis.”
“We are a very different collection of communities,” said Ryan, adding local efforts have contributed to the decline of overdose deaths and the task force will continue working closely with local health care providers and addiction treatment experts.
“We have been able to come together working in partnerships, focus ourselves and do things that are actually making a difference to have invested the amount of time and money that the commonwealth has invested in,” said Ryan.
“We can address issues correctively,” said Katie Sugarman at Natick 180, a community coalition that aims to deal with the opioid epidemic by providing resources for addiction education, prevention and recovery.
She said the organization also provides a harm reduction guide for safer substance use to prevent fatal overdoses, understanding the difficulty to overcome substance use disorders.
“I’m a big believer in harm reduction and making sure that people get access to the services that they deserve,” said Rep. Tami Gouveia, D-Acton, who co- sponsored the bill to prevent overdose deaths and increase access to treatment.
Increased access to Narcan plays a role in reducing the number of overdose deaths, said Gouveia.
Narcan is a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued a statewide standing order in 2018 to allow people to obtain Narcan rescue kits at local pharmacies without a prescription.
Because the town had five overdose deaths last year, Sugarman said Natick 180 encourages people to carry Narcan, especially those who may have a risk of witnessing or experiencing opioid overdose.
Linsky said other areas across the state can follow Middlesex County’s practice to provide treatment and recovery support rather than focusing on criminal convictions, which he said has contributed to a decline of overdose deaths.
“They are emphasizing recovery not punishment,” he said.
“Arresting people for substance use and possession of drugs is not solving the problem, and it’s exacerbating and making it worse,” added Gouveia, who had worked closely with people with addiction as a public health social worker for almost 20 years. “Because rather than providing people treatment that they need and deserve, we’re sending them to jail.”
Current state law prohibits the possession of controlled substances without a valid prescription, and possession of illicit drugs is one of the common offenses in Massachusetts. Depending on types of substance, a person can face up to two years imprisonment.
Gouveia said the state needs to provide more access to not only treatment but also other support for other mental health disorders, underemployment and homelessness, which people with addiction often suffer from.
As social isolation has been associated with almost four in five overdose deaths in the Middlesex County, stigma around substance use disorder plays a role holding people back from seeking help, said Cathy Miles, the founder of Framingham FORCE, a local group, which supports those who are in recovery.
“People don’t talk about it because it’s stigmatizing,” said Miles.
She said although the public is increasingly becoming aware of the opioid crisis, many people with addiction or in recovery still hesitate to share their stories with others due to a fear of judgment and stereotype.
“I think we have made great progress in destigmatizing mental health issues over the last decade, but there’s more we can do,” said Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D- Holliston, in a statement.
In addition to the administration’s proposed budget increase, the Massachusetts Senate approved a mental health parity bill to remove the barrier to mental health care access last month.
As stigma and shame discourage people from seeking treatment, the community has to share information, educate residents and provide recovery support for people with addiction.
“Addiction is an isolating experience,” said Sugarman.
“Mental health challenges more broadly affect a growing number of residents, from young children to elders,” said Dykema. “The Legislature has made a lot of progress, but we need to do more.”
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Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan receives Zonta International
District 1, US Centennial Award
Wakefield, MA -- On November 8 2019 Zonta International celebrated its Centennial Anniversary – 100 years of empowering women and girls around the world. What started with a group of women executives in 1919 in Buffalo, New York became an international organization in 62 countries with over 29,000 members.
The Zonta International District 1 Centennial Awards recognizes an individual or organization that demonstrates outstanding commitment to empowering women through service and/or advocacy living or working in New England and Nova Scotia, and an individual who demonstrate outstanding commitment to empowering women. "We are confident that this award will broaden our local networks and will strengthen our relationships with like-minded people and organizations. We don't want to live through 100 more years to achieve gender equality.", states Zonta International President Susanne von Bassewitz.
The District 1 Centennial Award was presented to District Attorney Marian Ryan by Joanne Puopolo, Past District 1 Governor and current Centennial Chair at the recent District 1 Fall Conference held at the Four Points Sheraton Boston Convention Center in Wakefield.Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan was chosen to receive the United States award because of her commitment to advocating for survivors of domestic violence, educating teens on dating violence and empowering women. “Choosing D.A. Ryan for this award was easy as she has been working in collaboration with the Zonta Club of Malden for many years. D.A. Ryan has supported our STEPS walk and Teen Dating Violence workshop and never hesitates to assist when needed”, remarked Elizabeth Hart, Governor, District 1, Zonta International.
Marian Ryan has been the Middlesex District Attorney since 2013. Before becoming District Attorney, she served the Office in various leadership positions including General Counsel, Chief of the Domestic Violence Unit, Chief of the Elder/Disabled Unit, and as Senior Counsel in the Family Protection Bureau.
A hallmark of District Attorney Ryan’s administration has been her equal commitment to addressing crime and other public safety issues through innovative prevention programs and non-traditional community partnerships.
As District Attorney, Marian Ryan has expanded initiatives in Middlesex County including utilizing restorative justice practices to intervene in the lives of at-risk youth and young adults and expanding diversion. She is an advocate for reforming the criminal justice system to put in place policies to address the collateral consequences for individuals who get involved in the criminal justice system ensuring that we continue to focus on rehabilitation and not just punitive aspects of our legal system.
She regularly lectures and leads workshops on workplace safety, teen dating violence internet safety and other initiatives that target vulnerable populations, such as immigrants and senior citizens. District Attorney Ryan has been acknowledged for her leadership on the opioid crisis and for developing other initiatives aimed at keeping children safe and protecting our seniors.
A graduate of Emmanuel College and Boston College Law School; she lives in Belmont with her husband and two children.
Zonta International District 1 encompasses six New England States and Nova Scotia.The District is made up of 12 clubs and 280 professional women who lend their time, talent and treasure to help women and girls. For more information about Zonta District 1, please visit our website (wwww.zontadistrict1.org),
Zonta International (www.zonta.org) is a leading global organization of professionals empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy. On 8 November, Zonta will celebrate its 100th anniversary. In 1919, a small group of founders in Buffalo, New York, had a vision to help all women realize greater equality. Today, more than 29,000 members in 63 countries work together to make gender equality a worldwide reality for women and girls. Since 1923, Zonta International has provided more than US$41.2 million to empower women and girls and expand their access to education, health care, economic opportunities and safe living conditions.
'Not guilty' doesn't mean unpunished;
How the Middlesex DA is changing the way court views bail
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan speaking in April about a lawsuit she and Suffolk County DA Rachael Rollins filed against Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the legality of its arrests at local courthouses.
Isaac, a slight-framed 19-year-old from Lowell, stood before a weathered wooden railing in his city’s district court last week, waiting to learn if he would keep his freedom.
He had been arrested the day before and charged with a felony count of selling crack cocaine. It was his first arraignment, and he was strapped for cash.
He had spent nearly his last $40 getting bailed out of the police station, and if the judge set hundreds of dollars in bail he would not have been able to afford it, he said in an interview -- meaning he would be locked up until either his case was resolved or his friends and family scraped together the money to get him released.
“If I wasn’t able to pay it, mostly likely I’d lose my job,” said Isaac, who asked that only his first name be used out of concern for his job and his privacy.
It did not come to that. Middlesex County prosecutors did not request any bail, and he was released with a commitment to attend his next court date.
Isaac’s release was not an isolated case.
For the last 18 months, Massachusetts’ most populous county has sought to abolish the use of cash bail for low-level defendants, who otherwise can languish in detention before trial if they cannot pay their way out of lockup.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan announced in January of last year that her office would not seek cash bail for offenses that would not typically lead to a jail sentence, including some drug and property crimes.
It was a stand that placed Ryan in the company of a nationwide chorus of criminal justice reform advocates, months before the underdog elections of Suffolk DA Rachael Rollins and Berkshire DA Andrea Harrington made clear that progressive prosecutors were having a moment in Massachusetts.
Now, with a year-and-a-half of bail reform under her belt, Ryan says the policy is working – and has not led to a spike in missed court dates
“It was really looking at where the impact was falling on bail and how bail could sometimes be the beginning of a bad spiral,” Ryan said in an interview. “You have cash bail set you can’t make, you get held, you lose your job. Your housing was probably a bit tenuous anyway, then you lose your housing.”
In criminal justice reform, talk can be cheap. But Lynda Dantas, the attorney in charge of Lowell District Court’s public defender agency, said in an interview that Ryan appears to be following through.
“I would say that generally that is absolutely the truth,” Dantas said. “Where they would usually ask for a minimal bail for $200 or $500, the DA’s office is not asking for bail with those individuals.”
Her and her colleagues have seen more of their clients accused of drug possession, motor vehicle offenses and other misdemeanors go free after their arraignments. That is no small thing, Dantas said. While many cases end in dismissals or not guilty verdicts, defendants who cannot afford bail can spend months in jail awaiting trial.
“Not guilty” does not mean unpunished when pretrial detention can cost people their jobs, their housing or even their children, according to Dantas. Because of those costs, some innocent defendants take quick plea deals that leave them with criminal records rather than fight their charges, she said.
“I think a large percentage of these individuals would rather plead guilty to something they did not do than spend another day in jail,” she said.
When Ryan announced her office’s changing approach to bail, it was paired with a promise of transparency. The DA’s office has launched a web page displaying some of the numbers behind its prosecutions, in what it describes as an effort to give Middlesex residents a clear look at how their criminal justice system functions.
And it has shared raw data with Northeastern University, which will produce reports designed to illuminate any disparate enforcement among the county’s racial and ethnic groups, genders and municipalities.
Among the numbers publicly released, some stand out. The DA’s Office did not request bail in 72.86 percent of district court cases that continued after arraignment, and 88.82 percent of such juvenile cases. And at any given time, district and superior courts were handling about 9,000 active cases, with 5% of defendants being detained pretrial.
But while Ryan’s office appears committed to collecting and sharing data, determining the exact effects of the new bail policy has proved difficult.
The DA’s Office only began collecting data on bail requests and pretrial detentions in 2018, officials told MassLive – meaning that comparing those numbers to the old, stricter bail policy is not possible. And there is no central data clearinghouse in Massachusetts that allows the public to compare cash bail statistics, default rates or detention rates – either over time or between counties.
In 2017, the Massachusetts Trial Court conducted a study on statewide bail practices following the Supreme Judicial Court’s landmark decision in Brangan v. Commonwealth – a ruling that requires judges to account for a defendant’s ability to pay when setting bail.
That study found that 80.7% of defendants in district court, where low-level offenses are typically prosecuted, were released without bail, 16.1 percent were set bail and 3.2 percent were ordered detained.
But those numbers do not help understand where Middlesex ranks in its approach to bail. While the statistics provided by Ryan’s office report on bail requests made by prosecutors, the trial court’s study looked at bail outcomes – including cases where a prosecutor may have requested bail, but a judge ordered the defendant released. That makes comparing those numbers impractical.
MassLive did find some independent evidence that suggests the policy is working as intended.
According to information from the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office, the average number of pretrial detainees in the county jail decreased about 16% from 2017 to 2018. The data shows that the number of people held decreased month-to-month in each month except December, where the population held steady.
“There’s a lot less people being held pre-trial that should never have been held in the past,” Dantas said. “I think this is making a dent.”
And the DA’s Office said that the elimination of bail requests in many low-level crimes has not led to a spike in people skipping court dates. The county’s district court default rate has remained roughly the same since the policy was implemented, Ryan’s office said.
When Ryan announced in January 2018 that her office would no longer seek bail for offenses that would not lead to a jail sentence, she said it was part of an “evolving practice” that followed meetings with law enforcement and community stakeholders.
And it came amid a national movement to reduce the use of cash bail that has created an alliance of sorts between activists, criminal justice researchers and progressive prosecutors.
A growing body of scholarship has shown that cash bail creates hardships for poor defendants who often face a difficult and inescapable choice: sit in jail awaiting a day in court, risking jobs and housing, or plead guilty, receiving a blemish on their record that can also lead to problems with employers and landlords. Research from Penn Law School's Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice found that defendants who cannot make bail are convicted more frequently and receive worse plea terms than those who can pay.
Ryan said that her office does not have data on whether guilty pleas have decreased since her reforms were implemented.
“It stands to reason that is a factor in some cases,” Ryan said.
In 2017, New Jersey essentially eliminated money bail, replacing it with a focus on offenders that judges deem dangerous to the community. Despite funding challenges, state officials say the system has been a success. The numbers of people detained before trial plummeted, while recidivism and default rates did not significantly rise, according to a report released in April.
In California, reformers have faced stiffer resistance. Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill eliminating cash bail last year, but the measure has been put on hold pending a referendum backed by the bail bond industry.
And in 2017, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling in Brangan v. Commonwealth led to a shift in how judges assess bail. In the Brangan decision, the SJC ruled that judges must consider a defendant’s ability to pay when setting bail – and that cash bail can only be used to ensure that a defendant returns to court, not as a way of jailing defendants without a dangerousness hearing.
“A bail that is set without any regard to whether a defendant is a pauper or a plutocrat runs the risk of being excessive and unfair,” Justice Geraldine S. Hines wrote in the decision.
Suffolk County DA Rachael Rollins was elected last year on promises to overhaul criminal justice in Greater Boston. She quickly became one of the state’s most visible advocates of progressive prosecution, and in March released a policy memo that addresses cash bail – and goes much further.
Suffolk prosecutors now work from the presumption that all defendants will be released without bail, unless there is “clear evidence” of a flight risk or the need for a dangerousness hearing. And Rollins’ memo lists 15 misdemeanors that her office will divert or decline to charge, except in exceptional circumstances – ranging from drug possession with intent to distribute and petty larceny to breaking into a vacant property and driving with a suspended license.
Those policies – and Rollins’ focus on the harms inflicted by the criminal justice system – have drawn aggressive pushback from law-and-order factions of the criminal justice community. The National Police Association – a conservative Indiana-based nonprofit that is not affiliated with individual police departments – filed a bar complaint against her.
And Cape & Islands DA Michael O’Keefe wrote an opinion column in the Boston Globe that did not name Rollins but blasted her approach, attributed the campaigns of “social justice” DA candidates to support from George Soros and said the criminal justice system has been wrongly blamed for racial disparities in incarceration.
“It’s harder to blame, for example, the disintegration of the family, a lack of respect for discipline and education, and the glorification in some communities of a culture that celebrates disrespectful language and misogyny under the guise of art,” wrote O’Keefe. “I suspect that these factors are more influential regarding who is in jail or prison than an inert criminal justice system.”
Ryan’s more modest reforms have escaped such public controversy.
“I am very fortunate to have good, solid relationships with our chiefs of police, with our local officials. This wasn’t something that we did abruptly,” she said. “We’ve done this in a measured way. We’ve been fortunate. The results have been what we hoped.”
MassLive reached out to several Middlesex County police departments for this story, none of whom responded with criticisms of Ryan’s bail policy.
“We have not taken a position on this, nor have any Middlesex chiefs voiced concerns directly to me,” Mass Chiefs of Police President Mark Leahy wrote in an email.
Dantas, the public defender, said she has noticed an increase in the Middlesex DA’s use of dangerousness hearings to deny bail entirely, now that the use of cash bail has decreased.
While judges are currently only allowed to consider a defendant’s pending charges when assessing dangerousness, a coalition of law enforcement officials and political leaders are pushing for legislation that would make those detentions easier. A bill filed by Gov. Charlie Baker would allow judges to consider criminal histories when deciding dangerousness and grant prosecutors the right to appeal bail decisions by district court judges.
SIDS Stories Spur Prosecutor to Enact New Policy
After listening to stories at a hearing Tuesday from parents who lost children to sudden infant death syndrome, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan's office this week initiated a new policy to connect parents who lose a child with support resources.
Families who lost children to SIDS on Tuesday touted a Sen. Joan Lovely bill (S 68) that would direct the Medical Examiner's office to provide families or guardians with "information, support, referral, and follow-up services relating to sudden infant death syndrome" immediately following the determination that SIDS is the presumed cause of death.
On Wednesday, Ryan's office made it its policy to provide families who suffer the unexpected death of a child with informational material from the Massachusetts Center for Unexpected Infant and Child Death.
"The loss of a child is the most devastating tragedy a family can endure. We know that the trauma of this loss has immediate impacts on those who loved and cared for that child," Ryan said in a statement Wednesday. "Yesterday's hearing exposed a gap in services that our office has the capability to address. I applaud the legislature's efforts to codify the practice of providing these resources, but given the immediate need to address this problem we are acting now."
Ryan's office put its new policy into action later Wednesday evening, when troopers from her office responded to the death of a five-month-old child found unresponsive at a day care facility on Falmouth Road in Waltham. Ryan's office said staff immediately administered CPR and the infant was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"While the investigation into this matter is still ongoing, and a ruling on the cause of death has not been made, this demonstrates how quickly a change can have an impact," Ryan said. - Colin A. Young/SHNS
6/13/2019 12:29:26 PM
Players from Chelsea Football Club hold soccer clinic for Framingham Students
By Zane Razzaq @zanerazz
Daily News staff
Posted May 14, 2019 at 6:10 PM Updated May 15, 2019 at 4:55 PM
The workshop came before Chelsea's charity match against the New England Revolution team Wednesday. The game at Gillette Stadium aims to bring awareness to global anti-Semitism.
FRAMINGHAM – Sixth-grader Guilherme Freitas was beaming when he high-fived London's Chelsea Football Club defender David Luiz. Behind him, another player, Emerson Palmieri, was busy autographing the back of his shirt.
Players from Britain's Premier League team visited Fuller Middle School for a workshop that highlighted the values of equality, diversity, and friendship Tuesday afternoon. The program was part of the Chelsea Foundation's work supporting their charity game against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium set for Wednesday night. The match, dubbed "Final Whistle on Hate," aims to combat global antisemitism and discrimination, with all proceeds going towards initiatives fighting antisemitism and all hate crimes.
"It was amazing," said 13-year-old student Cristian Perez, who names Eden Hazard as his favorite Chelsea player. "I was so happy to see them. I got all their signatures."
Students from Fuller and Cameron Middle School participated in the program. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and the Anti-Defamation League partnered to bring the program to Framingham. In addition to Tuesday's events, Chelsea Football Club also invited after-school participants from Cameron and Fuller Middle Schools to attend an open practice at Harvard University on Monday. Limited tickets to the Chelsea vs. Revolution soccer game were also offered to Framingham students.
One part of the program saw kids learning soccer techniques in a session with Chelsea coach Nathan Philip, player Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Palmieri, and Luiz. In another session, students spent time in a diversity workshop, writing pledges detailing their commitments to diversity and equality.
Teachers with the Chelsea Foundation used sports as an example of diversity, encouraged students to develop ideas on how differences can be celebrated, and how sports can be used to bring communities together.
"This is something we're really passionate about: using the power of the badge to inspire kids," said Sam Gaskin-Kemp, program manager. "Soccer sometimes has a bad reputation for the fans not always behaving themselves. We want to prove that wrong."
Casey Bell, manager of Secondary Out of School Time in the district, said the gym was filled with "super high-energy," as players gave students soccer tips and led them through drills.
"They (the students) were psyched. A lot of them had never been to a soccer game, let alone meet a famous player," said Bell. "It's something they couldn't have accessed before."
Fans can purchase tickets to the match on Ticketmaster.com or Revolutionsoccer.net. Prices for individual tickets start at $40. Special discounts on group tickets are available through Revolutionsoccer.net.
Zane Razzaq can be reached at 508-626-3919 or zrazzaq@wickedlocal.com and on Twitter at @zanerazz.
The Reading Advocate: DA Ryan speaks to Reading Rotary Club on opioid crisis
By Joanne Sender
Jun 25, 2018 at 4:34 PM Jun 25, 2018 at 4:34 PM
The Reading Rotary Club held their annual installation of officers with special guest speaker, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Tuesday, June 19 at St. Agnes Parish Center.
Ryan, the only female DA in Massachusetts who has held the position since 2013, spoke to the group about the current state of the opioid crisis in the county.
As a chief law enforcement officer in the state, Ryan explained that when there is an unattended death her state troopers respond. They make an initial assessment of what is the cause of death and insure there is no foul play.
When local police determine they cannot help the person the state police come in and start investigating. They will look at the persons phone to see where they may have gotten the drug and also who else they have spoken to recently as that person may also be at risk if they obtained the same drug. In addition, Ryan said they gather information on what the person struggled with in order to make useful predictions.
Last year there were 1,044 opioid-related fatalities, Ryan said. Every one of those is someone’s child, somebody’s sibling, somebody’s mom and dad, she said. How many families can you spare from that sort of tragedy?
Until 2012 there were approximately 40 opioid-related deaths each year. At the end of 2012 something happened and that number rose to 65. That was alarming, Ryan said.
Hardest hit was the Merrimack Valley. Task forces were formed with everyone who was going to have anything to do with the problem. The first successful task force was formed in Lowell. By the end of this summer a fifth one in Auburn will be established.
Ryan said that the crisis involves just about every town in the county. Reading has seen 15 deaths and that does not include those where individuals die in the hospital. The towns may look different, the problem is exactly the same, Ryan said.
Ryan also spoke about the success of Naloxone (Narcan), saying, “We know that Narcan is a lifesaving drug.”
Ryan said it is 100 percent effective if given in time before the heart stops and there are no ill effects and you cannot harm a person if you give it and they don’t actually need it.
She said there is a lot of talk about not giving Narcan but her thought is it gives a person another day to try to work things out.
If that’s your child, that’s all you want, she said.
Combating the crisis
The DAs office receives a portion of seized money and assets that are the profits of drugs and Ryan has used that money to purchase the Narcan she distributes. So far her office has distributed 4,000 doses. I want it to be as readily available as fire extinguishers or defibrillators, she said.
Ryan has distributed Narcan to schools, athletic trainers, soup kitchens and recently to funeral homes where people have overdosed while at the services of a friend who has died from an overdose.
One improvement in the crises, according to Ryan, has been the ability to prevent surges. In the past while there might be an average of four deaths a day it would on occasion surge to nine or 10 and they would just have to wait it out. But in March of 2017 the county partnered with private ambulances since they always know what is happening because they have to bill somebody.
Ryan’s office was able to use this real time data to see the surge begin and they took to social media to warn people there might be bad product out there and to take a break or be careful. They told people if they had loved ones who are using they should contact them and make sure they had Narcan.
Every time we’ve done it the surge has stopped, Ryan said.
Ryan said that for a while no matter what they did the numbers kept going up, unlike other health issues that had been addressed such as smoking and drunk driving. She said it takes a change in thinking and that’s been hard to do. She explained that part of it is the physiological differences of addiction.
While you can become addicted in as few as six days it takes six months for the scar tissue to heal when you stop. That is why a week or ten days of treatment might be a good idea but doesn’t work.
There has been some good news. In 2017 there was a drop in the numbers. Lowell, the worst hit city, has seen a 21 percent drop in fatal overdoses, and the county overall has seen an 11.5 percent reduction.
This is going to take time, Ryan said.
One thing that has changed is more people are overdosing at home instead in seemingly random places. In 81 percent of cases people are dying in their own homes. The median age of an overdose victim is 36, which Ryan explained means they are deep in addiction and the social aspect of using is gone. More and more children are finding their parents when they overdose. Project Care has been formed to address the trauma these children face.
In 60 percent of at home deaths a non-using adult is also at home. It is heartbreaking for these people to have not realized their loved one was dying, Ryan added. They often mistake the distressed breathing of an overdose to snoring. Ryan said people are at risk of overdosing a few days after they have been drug free from rehab or jail. Their receptors are now clean and using the same amount of drug they used prior can be fatal.
The times most people are susceptible to overdosing is around 72 hours of a loss or trauma. And she is not sure of the connection but a lot of people who die have sought medical treatment in the three to four days prior to their death for some other illness such as a sore throat.
Ryan told the group she had testified before Congress the previous day and was shocked at how far behind so many places were. She concluded by asking Rotarians to be her ambassadors and spread the word.
Rich Winant, founder and director of the Kelly Sober House of Wakefield, also spoke with what he called a message of hope.
He also warned that after a stay in rehab people are not ready to come home and family aren’t ready to receive them. In the days after they come out they will feel like using and they can be open to talking about their feelings in a sober house. Metrics show sober living is working, Winant said.