Stepdad says tained drug killed son
By: Vic Monaco
HIGHTSTOWN "We knew he was hurting, but we had no idea …"
Those sorrowful words came this week from Glenn Johnston, stepfather of Brian Landry.
Brian a 17-year-old Hightstown High school lacrosse player, wrestler and debate team member died Aug. 26 from drug-related causes. His stepfather said this week that the exact cause was heroin laced with an even more dangerous drug.
"My son died from fentanyl," said Mr. Johnston.
Law enforcement officials in Mercer County told the Herald last month that several recent deaths under investigation may be linked to fentanyl, a pharmaceutical painkiller that is being added to heroin. Mr. Johnston, of Richardson Lane, said he learned about three weeks ago that that is what killed his stepson. A report from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services says Brian’s death was accidental and caused by "acute toxicity of fentanyl," Mr. Johnston said.
"I had never heard anything about it," he said of fentanyl. "Basically I’ve learned what everybody else is telling you that it is 80 times stronger than morphine.
Mr. Johnston said he and his wife want to do all they can to help make sure that others don’t face the same kind of tragedy.
"I want to give a wake-up call to other parents and kids," he said.
The message is twofold: This can happen to any teenager, and others can and should help.
"My son wasn’t your everyday junkie. He wasn’t on street corners," he said. "He was on the lacrosse team and the debate team. He was an average, very popular high school kid."
Brian’s popularity was demonstrated at a gathering the day after his death. About 150 fellow students, teachers, friends and family crowded the Slowdown Café to celebrate his life.
Mr. Johnston takes no satisfaction in saying there were probably people in that room who could have helped his son stay alive.
"As hurtful as it may sound, there were many kids who knew what he was doing," he said calmly. "If one person would have said something, it would have saved his life."
Mr. Johnston confirmed rumors that Brian had used heroin in the past for about three months, he estimated before stopping. Then, a personal relationship of his ended and he now thinks his stepson began using again a couple months before his death.
"We knew he was hurting but we had no idea," Mr. Johnston said. "My wife and I made a point to get in his face every night when he got home to listen to him, to smell him. Something wasn’t right. We thought he might be using pot or something but I wasn’t able to catch him doing anything."
At that time, Mr. Johnston said, another young man became a part of Brian’s life, and he blames him for providing Brian with the drug that killed him. According to Mr. Johnston, Brian’s last five phone calls were conversations with the other young man, who he now claims is responsible for several other local teens going into rehab.
"This other character showed up," he said. "They feed on the weak. They say take this; it will make you feel better."
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office previously said Brian’s death was being investigated as a possible heroin overdose. Office spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio said this week that there is no criminal investigation into the cause of death but "that’s not to say there isn’t an investigation into the source of the heroin."
The Herald previously filed a formal request with the Prosecutor’s Office for the toxicology report in the case, which was expected to be concluded about now. Ms. DeBlasio said this week that the release of the report, which contains the official cause of death, is now in the hands of the county Medical Examiner’s Office. Patrick Duncan, a lawyer for the county, said privacy concerns are being reviewed before a decision is made on releasing the report.
The day before Brian’s death, Mr. Johnston had gone to a Giants-Jets football game with his stepson, who then went out for about an hour on his own. He saw his son return around 11:45 p.m.. Around 1 a.m. Brian was found dead in his bedroom.
"He passed away very quickly," Mr. Johnston said. "He went to sleep and went peacefully."
Within days of his passing, Mr. Johnston said he and his wife called some other parents whose children they were told were also using heroin.
"One parent thought something was going on, another was in total denial," he said.
Like law enforcement officials, Mr. Johnston said he sees a popular Web site as an enabler for troubled youth.
"One culprit is MySpace.com," he said. "They’re talking to each other about it. I sit there and connect the dots. Everybody involved is connected."
Mr. Johnston also said Brian’s friends are still writing constantly on his stepson’s MySpace page. A look at the page bears that out, with teens telling Brian how much they miss him and thanking him for being such a good friend. One entry from a little over a month ago also gives credit to Brian’s stepdad and mom for getting involved with other teens involved with drugs.
"Your parents found out all the people who encouraged what was going on and got them out of their lives," the friend wrote.
Mr. Johnston said he and his wife’s actions have a specific goal.
"We don’t want his death to go in vain," he said. "We got blindsided. I know for a fact that other kids are using in town."

