TUCSON, Ariz.(KGUN) — As she put up a poster of people who were lost to fentanyl, Kira Moore-Rendon’s gaze was on the picture of her son Jacob Rendon. He was just one in a sea of people’s pictures who died due to fentanyl.
“He was his happiest when he was in nature,” Moore-Rendon commented and she took down small pieces of his memorabilia.
Putting down some antlers and feathers on a table, she remembered back to Jacob’s hiking and hunting trips.
He was only 24 years old when he died from a fentanyl overdose in 2021. His family tried reviving him with NARCAN, the opioid-reversing medicine, but after several tries, they couldn’t.
First responders told Moore-Rendon and her family that there was nothing they could do to bring Jacob back.
“It was devastating. Children are just beautiful gifts we’re given, beautiful gifts.” Moore-Rendon said. “They’re our responsibility…and when you lose one….Jacob was a good soul. He was a good soul.”
Jacob is just one of the almost 1,500 people who died due to fentanyl in Pima County from 2017 to 2024.
To prevent fentanyl from coming into Arizona and the U.S., Senator Mark Kelly helped secure $491 million that is going towards improving technology at the border that would help detect fentanyl. Over $283 million is also going to technology that detects it in vehicles and tunnels.
“If we can stop it at the border, then of course it doesn’t meet our children, it doesn’t meet our people who are suffering with a substance abuse disorder. It hopefully saves lives,” Moore-Rendon said.
In total, over $850 million is going towards border patrol and the border’s infrastructure and additional money is going towards supporting and hiring people who work on the border.
Last fiscal year U.S. Customs and Border Protection says they seized over 12 thousand pounds of fentanyl at the Tucson Field Office and the Tucson Sector.
The End Fentanyl Act, which was sponsored by Kelly and a Republican, is now a law that makes the commissioner of CBP update the Office of Field Operation’s policies at least every three years to respond to illegal activity.
“Definitely with any system, you need that kind of checks and balance,” Moore-Rendon said.
As she walked towards Jacob’s memorial in her backyard, with rocks crunching underneath her, Moore-Rendon was just hoping more people can be taught about the dangers of fentanyl so it might prevent deaths like her son’s.
“There are ways to live a safer life, live a cleaner life…the more we can keep off our streets, the more lives we can save,” she said.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
