When 2005 began we had just buried my cousin's baby who had died from complications at birth.  It was a sad day for my family.  We wondered how God could take someone so young and why that little baby would never get a chance at life.

I spoke with my family and told them this was a wake up call for us. We needed to all get on the same page and talk to my 23 year old cousin Donny, who was addicted to anything he could get his hands on. My grandmother did not want to believe that Donny would ever do anything that would harm himself. I told my family I had been researching "Meth" on the internet and suggested that this may be Donny's new drug of choice.

His teeth were starting to get black around the gum line and he had a really bad craving for soft drinks. My family said all the sugar he was consuming was causing the decay. For some reason I knew better.

His attitude was starting to change also. He went from a shy homebody to a explosive go-getter. He never wanted to come home anymore and when he did he always looked pale and thin. He was turning into someone we didn't even know.  We found out by gossip that he had been arrested for "meth" and would be placed on house arrested for 6 months. We thought this would be the answer to our prayers. Little did we know that the drug dealers weren't afraid to come to is house and actually smoke it with him.

When he finally got off house arrest he tested positive to having "meth" in his system again. The day we went to court for his probation violation, he actually showed up high on meth. We couldn't believe it. He was then sentenced to only 2 days of jail time and placed on suicide watch. His probation officer hoped to get him help, when he got out. The day he did get out, he took a shower, packed his clothes and moved in with his friends that lived in town and supplied him with the meth.

His probation officer was looking for him on November 29, 2005 when he didn't show up for his appointment. We got a call that day from his friends saying they partied all night, smoking meth and taking pills and when they went in to wake Donny -- he was dead.

We couldn't believe they sat back and watched him swallow four methadone pills, followed by several hours of smoking meth. They knew he was acting funny and just placed him in the bed, thinking he was having a bad reaction.  The next afternoon they went to check on him. They apologized then told the police he got the stuff from someone else.

One is being charged with involuntary manslaughter and two more are being charged with second degree murder.

If you know or just suspect that a loved one may be using offer to get help immediately. You may not get another chance, Lord knows my family lives with the guilt everyday.