(credit: Dr. Laura Berman)
SANTA MONICA (CBSLA) – TV presenter and sex therapist Dr. Laura Berman says her 16-year-old son died of a drug overdose she received from a drug dealer she had contact with on Snapchat.
Samuel Berman Chapman died on Sunday in his bedroom of what his parents believe to be cocaine and Percocet mixed with fentanyl.
“My beautiful boy is gone. 16 years. Shelter at home ”, wrote the TV therapist on Facebook. “My heart is completely broken and I’m not sure how to keep breathing.”
Santa Monica police confirmed that they responded to a 911 call from an unconscious, breathless teenager around 4pm on Sunday. The boy died on the spot. The police said there were no signs of crime and that the preliminary investigation found that prescription drugs were involved.
Berman encouraged his followers to keep an eye on their children, especially if they use Snapchat.
“I publish this now just so that another child dies,” she wrote. “We watched it so closely. Straight student. Getting ready for college. The experimentation went wrong. He had the medicines delivered to the home. “
Snapchat issued a statement expressing its condolences to Berman, and said they have a zero-tolerance policy for using the platform to buy or sell illegal drugs.
“Our deepest condolences go out to Samuel Berman Chapman’s family and friends and we are heartbroken by his death,” said the Snapchat statement. “We are committed to working together with the authorities in this case and in all cases where Snapchat is used for illegal purposes.”
For more information, visit: CalHope.org / SAMHSA.gov / DrugHelpLine.org