Child tells bus driver she couldn't wake parents - Drug overdose epidemic sweeps nation

'I think the public doesn't fully appreciate yet the scope of the problem.'

A 7-year-old girl dutifully woke up in time to get ready for school and spent the day normally, until her bus ride home, when she told the driver she hasn't been able to wake her parents from their "sleep."

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to the Washington Post, the authorities were called and sent to the apartment outside Pittsburgh, PA.

There they found the bodies of 26-year-old Christopher Dilly and 25-year-old Jessica Lally, both of whom overdosed on heroin.

Authorities also discovered a 5-year-old, three-year-old and a 9-month-old still in the home. None of the children were harmed but they were still sent to a hospital for an examination before being placed with the county's department of children, youth and families.

WPXI reported Courtney Lally, Jessica's sister, knew both Lally and Dilly were using drugs.

Shy attempted to get police and the Allegheny County Children Youth and Families (CYF) involved since February. In an act of desperation, she even reached out to Channel 11's Courtney Brennan to see if the news station could do anything.

In the end, she could only take pictures of the horribly filthy home and send them to police.

When Jessica discovered what her sister was up to, she moved her family to McKeesport but Lally continued to fight for the kids.

"My sister wasn't the person she became when it came to drugs," she shared. "She wasn't the person I knew. It was like the drugs had taken over and at first we didn't know it was heroin.

"She loved her kids -- she did. She loved her mom, she loved me, she loved us....I feel like if I wouldn't have done that, it would have been way different and we could have made up months ago, and she'd still be here today."

Investigators say they believe the young couple passed away due to an overdose of heroin and no foul play is suspected.

Neighbors claimed the couple was "acting normal" and there were "No indications. Nothing."

Meanwhile, the McKeesport School District released a statement reading: "Our school district took immediate action after we were notified of the concerns shared by one of our students on their route home.

"We alerted all appropriate officials and ensured the students' safety. Each school in our district offers counseling to any student who needs it. We will be available for the family affected by this tragedy."

Courtney and her mother will be at a hearing on Wednesday and plan to gain temporary custody of the children.

Authorities continue to investigate the incident, as well as another overdosing case occurring on the same street on Monday.

County health officials released a report recently stating: "There is an opioid overdose epidemic in the U.S., and Allegheny County is not immune."

In March, US President Barack Obama said opioid abuse and overdose deaths are "heartbreaking." He added: "I think the public doesn't fully appreciate yet the scope of the problem."

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online