Relationship therapist and television presenter Dr. Laura Berman and her husband are unable to access their recently deceased son’s cell phone and must provide Apple with a death certificate before receiving the necessary approval to do so, according to a report.
Berman, a doctor and award-winning radio and television presenter, told NBC for a segment that aired on Tuesday that she and her husband, Sam Chapman, had no choice but to wait for Apple to allow them access to their film. 16 year old son’s iPhone because they don’t have the password.
The teenager, Samuel “Sammy” Berman Chapman, was pronounced dead on Sunday after his mother found him unconscious in his Santa Monica, California home just before 4:30 pm local time, according to police and reports.
In a poignant post shared on his Instagram, Berman explained how they have reason to believe he has overdosed on drugs.
“My beautiful boy is gone. 16 years old. Shelter at home,” she wrote in a caption paired with a photograph of her and Sammy. Later, she added: “My heart is completely broken and I’m not sure how to keep breathing. I publish this now just so that another child dies.”
Berman wrote that she and her husband learned that their son was exchanging messages with a drug dealer via Snapchat and is suspected of having used drugs, possibly Xanax or Percocet, which contained something more dangerous than he imagined, probably fentanyl.
“I know he didn’t know he was taking fentanyl. He wasn’t interested in that; he was afraid of that,” she told Fox News on Tuesday. “He did not actively understand addiction and did not want to be addicted yet, unfortunately, most American teenagers try these supposedly innocent experimental drugs with fentanyl.”
A toxicology report will provide additional answers.
(Photo courtesy of Samuel Chapman)
(Photo courtesy of Samuel Chapman)
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But bereaved parents can now no longer search their child’s phone because an Apple policy prevents the company from unlocking their cell phone until a death certificate is provided, TODAY reported.
An Apple spokesman did not respond to Fox News’s request seeking comment and additional details about the policy.
In the meantime, she told Fox News that technology companies and social media platforms must “help the police catch predators that are killing our children”.
“Snapchat is very clear that they do not support drug trafficking and I am sure that whenever their algorithm finds a page advertising drug trafficking, they remove it,” she said, “but that does not stop the dealer. They are like Whack-a-moles. They just appear with a new account seconds later. “
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – MAY 24: Dr. Laura Berman arrives at the 36th Annual Gracie Awards Gala on May 24, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon / Getty Images)
Berman said the family had not heard from Snapchat, but blamed the company for “arresting those who did and those doing it with other children and parents across the country,” she said.
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“I do not hold them responsible for their death, but I hold them responsible for their justice,” she added.
A Snapchat spokesman did not respond to Fox News’s request for comment on Tuesday, but said in a statement on Monday that “the company’s biggest sympathies are with Samuel Berman Chapman’s family and friends and we are with heartbroken by his death “.
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“We are committed to working closely with the authorities in this case and in all cases where Snapchat is used for illegal purposes,” the statement continued. “We have zero tolerance for using Snapchat to buy or sell illegal drugs.”
The Santa Monica Police Department told Fox News on Tuesday that the agency’s Criminal Investigations Division is conducting a “parallel investigation” with the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office and the investigation is ongoing. The Los Angeles Anti-Drug Agency Office also offered its help, said a DEA spokesman.
Melissa Roberto and David Aaro of Fox News contributed to this report.