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

Dear Governor Gretchen Whitmer,
I am a mother of a son who passed away of fentanyl poisoning, he thought he was buying
heroin. Instead, it was 90% fentanyl, with 10% cocaine. His name was Justin Davis, forever
31yrs old. I am on the board of a sober living home for women in Livingston County MI, the
Amber Reineck House. I am also hoping to help make some changes to the stigma of addicts,
and to bring some education to help others understand how scary drugs and especially fentanyl
are.
My son, Justin was an army veteran, he lived and worked most of the time on Mackinaw Island,
MI. He was a sommelier and hoped to open his own restaurant someday. He had a heart of
gold and always helped others that needed help. He was a son, brother, grandson, uncle, and
friend to everyone that he met. He still has people stopping in the Yankee Rebel Tavern on
Mackinaw Island looking for their guy Justin and are saddened to hear of his passing. He loved
nature, hunting, fishing, and his dog, Sammy that he left behind. His passing has left a hole in
many people’s hearts, and some of us will never heal from his loss.
Justin suffered from ADHD, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse on and off since he got
out of high school. He was a great baseball player, football player, and wrestler in high school.
He got out an went into the army, and was stationed in Alaska, that is where he had his first big
trouble with drugs. I still do not know all that happened there, but he was in for two years,
before coming home. Justin was a functioning addict, and always worked hard, and lived on his
own since his discharge from the army. He also managed to stay away from drugs for 8 months
before he passed away. We have proof of who sold him the drugs, that killed him.
Unfortunately, it was his high school “friend”, and he has never been charged for my sons’
death.
As or Governor I understand that you have made many great changes for Michigan, and as a
mother of someone who passed away, I am asking you to please help support us in bringing
awareness and education to the opioid/fentanyl crisis that is going on in our state. I lost my son
in 2021 and just in that year there were over 3000 deaths from fentanyl poisoning in Michigan
alone. With the help of your support, we could bring more awareness to this crisis, and help
save someone else’s child.
As a mother grieving the loss of her child, which is something I wish upon no mother ever, I am
asking if the Capitol would be willing to create and share a version of the Memorial Wall (like
the wall in D.C.). We have created two Memorial Walls, one with photos and one with names. I
am attaching a photo of my son Justin’s frame below; these digital albums automatically
update. We would like the photos displayed in hard copy format, and the wall of names to be
projected on a wall so families can touch their loved one’s name. We would like our loved ones
to be treated like victims. They were all victim of the American Cartel, and many others.
Sincerely,
Dana Snyder, the mother of Justin Davis-forever 31
Howell, MI
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