Nicole was born April 6th, 1995 to our loving parents. Nicole had a personality that was larger than life and she would do anything for anybody. She was always rooting for the underdog and would do anything to make sure those she loved were happy and taken care of.

Nicole worked full-time with our mom and on the night before her passing, she worked late. Nicole didn’t drive, so had a someone from work drop her off at a “friend’s” house to see some puppies before they were sold. She and this “friend” had a lot of history and he went to great measures to get her to come over that night. The next morning, she didn’t show up at home or to work. At first, we didn’t think anything of it because she loved to sleep more than anything and had a few no-shows as a result. But eventually we knew something was wrong.

I, her older sister, reached out to her friend to see if she knew where she was. She used SnapMaps to locate her and when I heard where she was, my heart sank. Nobody was comfortable with her being around him.

December 10th, 2019 soon became the worst day of our lives. My husband and I were the first ones at the hospital where I learned that Nicole has succumbed to an “overdose”. Having to call my parents and share that their baby was gone is something that I’ll live with forever. The screams at the other end of the line is something I’ll never shake.

A police officer was at the hospital and that’s where I thought the investigation was starting. My family pleaded with him to look into this guy she was with because he was a known drug dealer and again, had a very uncomfortable attachment to Nicole. We were assured this would happen. But, many phone calls and requests later, we learned that there was nothing they could do and the case would be closed.

Almost 3 years later, this kid has been pulled over and charged with possession and intent to sell on numerous occasions. FENTANYL. The same poison that took my little sister. Unfortunately, my family has since connected with another who lost their son/brother to the same fate. They too believe that he received the fatal dose from the same guy my sister was with the night she died. This is heartbreaking because this could’ve been avoided. Not just for this young man, but I’m sure many other people.

This was no overdose. This was poisoning. Murder. Nicole’s memory now lives on through pictures and stories. She deserved so much more. She is missed more than anything and will never be forgotten. We will never stop telling her story.