Father speaks out about daughter's overdose death in midst of opioid epidemic

Man's grandchildren still have night terrors

It's an epidemic that is hitting our state hard: Opioid overdoses.

Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Thursday to help curb the use.

House Bill 477 creates new penalties tied to opioid drugs and fentanyl.

But it comes too late for three little boys who lost their parents on New Year's Eve this past year.

Dash camera video recently showed a state trooper pulling up to a vehicle on the side of I-4 in Volusia County.

At first he thought the couple, 32-year-old Daniel Kelsey and his wife, 30-year-old Heather Kelsey, were on the ground sleeping but it was later determined the two died of an overdose of fentanyl.

"There was no drug paraphernalia found in the vehicle. After the investigation was completed, the medical examiner did the report, they actually suspect that the drugs were consumed prior to them driving," said Sgt. Kim Montes of the Florida Highway Patrol.

The video shows the raw emotions connected to an overdose for everyone involved.

The three children inside this vehicle, now ages 5, 2 and 1 live with Heather's father, Mike Belisle and his wife in the Panhandle.

"I think at this point they really do know that they're gone and they're not coming back. They have said that to us and they still have the moments where they have, I guess you call them night terrors," Belisle said.

Belisle says he's grateful the kids are safe but the anger is still very much present for his daughter and son-in-law.

"The biggest thing of all I feel like they left their kids down you know," Belisle said.

He said he's speaking out about his daughter's death because he wants people to know how it truly affects loved ones who are left behind.

Scott said he's hoping harsher penalties will slow the epidemic down, but there's no one-fix cure right now.


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