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Duncanville students create fentanyl awareness mural
A community art project, spearheaded by a middle school student and a high school student, has created a mural to honor Marissa Caitlyn Ladatto and raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl.
DUNCANVILLE, Texas - Many months in the making, an idea that became a school project at Duncanville’s Byrd Middle School has now become a reality.
Remembering Marissa Caitlyn Ladatto but also a poignant reminder of the danger of drugs.
What we know:
Tamia Norvell is drawing what will be more than art, a mural designed to remind the community about the dangers of fentanyl and to remember Marissa Caitlyn Ladatto.
A mural that will be a memorial in the front yard of the Duncanville home that Ladatto lived and died in.
What they're saying:
"Marissa was class of 2020. In her second week of class she lost a good friend due to suicide," said Ladatto’s mother and founder of Marissa’s Voice, Amy Brewer.
Two weeks later, Ladatto’s grandmother died.
"And then from there, life just fell apart," said Brewer.
Amy Brewer
Six months after graduation, Ladatto died from fentanyl, that's when her mother started Marissa's Voice to bring attention to fentanyl and the message "One Pill Kills".
"I am doing this because I want people to remember that illicit fentanyl is out in our community and no matter how much I scream and yell and tell people about it, it takes a visual sometimes to get it into people's heads," said Brewer.
"When they're making these pills, they have no idea how much fentanyl is going into each of these pills, kind of like a chocolate chip cookie. You never know how many chocolate chips are going to be in each cookie, the same thing with fentanyl."
Local perspective:
Brewer connected with Curtis Ferguson, an art teacher at Duncanville's Byrd Middle School.
Curtis Furguson
"When I met them it was like we had known each other for years and I went on to explain to her that I have a son that is also addicted to crystal meth and I’ve tried everything and its going to take more than me, a power greater than me and the community, and I would be honored to do this mural with her," said Ferguson.
Ferguson made it a project for all his art classes. Tamia’s drawing, a tiger with Marissa's image imposed over it, was selected by Amy and her husband.
"I’m very happy to be picked for this event. I really appreciate it. I’m sorry for the loss and how she died. It is pretty sad," said Tamia Norvell.
Dig deeper:
While a student from Byrd Middle School created the sketch, a student from Duncanville High School is leading the painting.
Joycelen Haro Banks hopes with every stroke of the brush, she is painting a message that will not only become a memorial but will cause others to ask what the stone means.
In hopes that learning Ladatto's story will take to heart the risks of taking street drugs
"I hope they can realize that it’s not a joke. It’s not a joke to do drugs. It’s not cool, it can really hurt someone. It can really kill someone really," said Banks.
What's next:
The mural in the front yard of the family home in Duncanville.
Big John's Nursery and Landscape in Cedar Hill donated the boulder. A boulder that will be a conversation starter about what's taking the lives of so many young people.
The Source: Information in this article was provided from interviews conducted by FOX 4's Shaun Rabb.