USA First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff

Dear First Lady Ann Lamont:
I am writing this letter to respectfully request your assistance in creating a memorial wall
in our State Capitol to honor our loved ones taken from us too soon by the current
fentanyl epidemic.
My son, Jake Beddoe, passed on May 27, 2020, at the age of 25, after taking a street
Xanax unknowingly laced with fentanyl. Feeling the pressures of his work due to COVID-
19, Jake was looking to get a good night’s sleep. He had no reason to believe that quarter
Xanax bar he took would tragically end his life.
Jake was an adventurer, a humanitarian, and a deeply compassionate young man, gifted
at building connection with others through heart and humor. He was brought up in a loving
home in Connecticut and was close-knit with his dad Wally and me, and his siblings Carly,
Kirk, and Amy. He was well educated with a degree in philosophy, a minor in art, and a
passion for illustration. Jake was a UCONN grad, served in the Peace Corps on the Island
of St. Vincent, and upon his return threw himself into work as a travel consultant in Boston
planning international trips for small groups. He temporarily moved back home from
Boston to quarantine with his family since we all wanted to be together.
We made the best of it by enjoying family dinners and movie nights. Still, it was stressful.
The worldwide pandemic added a great deal of turmoil to the travel industry, and Jake
continued to work long hours from our basement during this very uncertain time. I
checked in with him about work and COVID-related anxiety, but he assured me that he
would be fine.
On May 26th, Jake fell asleep early after a long workday and missed dinner. When I heard
him in the kitchen around midnight, I came downstairs and joined him. We talked and
laughed for a bit until he headed back to his room to watch a movie since he’d just taken a
long nap. The next morning brought beautiful May weather and as we sat outside enjoying
coffee, we noticed that Jake was sleeping in longer than usual. By 10:30 a.m. I decided to
check on him and found that he wasn’t breathing. Jake’s brother Kirk called 911, and his
dad Wally, who is a volunteer firefighter, began CPR, but it was too late. Paramedics
pronounced Jake dead around 11:30 a.m.
Would you be willing to assist in finding a permanent location for a Drug Epidemic
Memorial Wall within our Capitol? Attached is Jake’s photo.
Thank you for your consideration,
Niki Beddoe
Trumbull, CT
199