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

Dear First Lady Teresa Parson,
My name is Karri Weiss. I am an Ambassador and the State Lead of Missouri for the Drug
Epidemic Memorial Wall. I lost my first-born son, Justin Brian McLoud, on April 16, 2020,
to fentanyl poisoning. My son was a decorated Marine. At the age of 18 he chose to turn
down baseball scholarships and joined the Marines. He wanted to serve and protect his
country. Due to his personality, he became the best of the best.
In 2010, my son deployed on his third tour to Afghanistan with his 3/5 Marines. His son
was 10 days old. December 10, 2010, my son was out on patrol and stepped on an IED.
Due to the explosion, he lost both legs and his left arm. So began his journey on pain
medication. However, in 2017 when the CDC thankfully cracked down on opiate
prescriptions, he, like many, were cut off their medications with no place to turn except the
streets.
Justin was an inspiration to everyone who met him. He never let his injuries hold him
back and persevered through his life. He had joint custody of his son, Desmond, and
participated in scouts and baseball with him. Justin was an avid hunter and loved wood
carving.
Like so many deaths from fentanyl, my son did not know that he was ingesting a poison.
The day before he had been on the phone with his Semper Fi nurse talking about setting
up an appointment with the advisor of Webster University to enroll in classes for the fall
semester. He had plans to stay clean and regain his custody rights of his son. I honestly
can’t say what happened that made him decide to contact a dealer and have drugs
delivered to his home.
At the age of 32 my first-born son was gone and left a trail of grief behind him. My
youngest son carries the image of trying unsuccessfully to resuscitate his brother. My last
image was getting to my son’s home and seeing all the lights of EMS lighting up the sky
and my son being placed in a body bag. The pain of having to tell his father that his only
son was gone, and telling his sister and middle brother that he was gone, is more than a
mother should ever bear. The hardest was having to call my grandson’s mother and tell
her that my grandson’s daddy was gone. Desmond was only nine years old when he lost
his daddy.
Mrs. Parson, you are a mother and a grandmother, and I know you love your family as
much as we loved Justin. We are being attacked by cartels who only want to wipe out
Americans. Fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction. Would you assist us in finding a
permanent location for a Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall within our Capitol? We have
created two memorial walls. One with photos and one with names.
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