Family in Bellevue raises awareness after loved one dies from fentanyl overdose

BELLEVUE, Wash. - A family from Bellevue is opening up about their heartbreaking loss earlier this month.

Their son Bobby Ausbun, 20, died in his sleep on October 9 after taking a pill laced with fentanyl.

“For whatever reason that night he experimented with the wrong pill, and they were the little blue pills of Percocet, the street ones, and he did get his hands on one and it did take his life that night,” said his mom Colleen Gregoire.

Gregoire said her son got his wisdom teeth removed last year and was prescribed pain medication. She said that’s when he started to grow an addiction to opioid pills.

“He was clean for about seven-and-a-half months and for whatever reason, we still don’t know. He had a new apartment coming up on November 1. He had a new job. Him and his girlfriend were getting along great. It still baffles us to know exactly what triggered him,” said Gregoire.

The family said three doses of Narcan were used on Ausbun to try and revive him, but it was too late.

“They did CPR and stuff until the paramedics got there, but he was already gone too long,” said Ausbun.

King County Public Health is reporting 135 fentanyl overdoses in 2020 to date. There were fewer in 2019 with 116 fentanyl overdoses the entire year.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is launching a new initiative to reduce violence and illegal drug trafficking.

“It’s hitting home and it’s hitting real close to home,” said stepdad Rod Benedict. “I guess they’re going to ask us if we want to press charges and our answer is absolutely. If this happened to Bobby, who’s the next person it’s going to happen to?”

Both Gregoire and Benedict said their plan is to work with law enforcement on the investigation, and raise awareness on the deadly fentanyl laced pills that are being sold on the streets.