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Who Killed Oscar Gutierrez?
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ShareFebruary 28, 2007 9:36 AM
The shocking death of a 15-year-old boy from an overdose of "cheese," an amalgam of heroin and Tylenol PM, has brought local, state and federal agencies together in an investigation to find out who is supplying Dallas children with the heroin.
Oscar Gutierrez, who died early in the morning of Feb. 18, was an eighth grader at Marsh Middle School. Police say his brother, who tried in vain to wake him the next morning, said Gutierrez had overdosed on "cheese" once before.
Oscar's death has sparked a cooperative effort by DEA, Dallas Police and the Dallas Independent School District (ISD) Police Force to crack down on the drug, which has killed three teenagers over the past year, according to Detective Jeremy Liebbe of the Dallas ISD Police.
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DEA officials in Washington and local law enforcement officials say an investigation has been launched to find out who sold the heroin to the Gutierrez.
"We are pursuing all dealers," says Liebbe, who adds that if caught, the dealer who sold heroin to the young teen would be charged with murder.
Law enforcement officials say they do have leads. "We suspect the same few suppliers are selling to many of the young people in the Dallas Independent School District," said Detective Monty Moncibais of the Dallas Police Force.
Click Here for Photos of Cheese: The Heroin for Kids.
ABC News has been following "cheese" as the use of the drug has spread among younger and younger children (some only 9 years old). Dallas police reported 71 arrests for "cheese" last year, according to Moncibais.
DEA headquarters did not acknowledge the problem six months ago. Officials now say there is a problem, but it has not spread outside of Dallas.
Drug counselors say "cheese" is just beginning to get the attention necessary to help them tackle the issue.
Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.
"The recent death generated a rally of parents and drug enforcement authorities to try to find a solution to this overwhelming situation," says Michelle Hemm, who treats children and adolescents for "cheese" addiction at the Dallas Phoenix House drug rehabilitation center.
A 14-year-old girl undergoing treatment for addiction to the drug at the Dallas Phoenix House told ABC News the kids mix up the heroin with Tylenol PM and sell the amalgam powder rolled up in notebook paper to classmates.
The yellowish powdery drug resembles grated cheese.
February 28, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (18)
Unfortunately, Oscar Gutierrez killed Oscar Gutierrez...
Posted by: Jazz | Feb 28, 2007 12:40:20 PM
Fortunately, Oscar Gutierrez killed Oscar Gutierrez... riddle solved.
Posted by: JelloBiafra | Feb 28, 2007 2:12:38 PM
What a sad story. Funny how authorities always react after the events, huh ? Call it the "Inbox Drug Policy". Good reporting on a tough issue.
Posted by: Dick Durbin | Feb 28, 2007 2:33:22 PM
Whats so sad about it? You do heroin. You die. You jump off of a cliff. You die. What makes it so sad?
Posted by: JelloBiafra | Feb 28, 2007 2:49:31 PM
At $2 a sale it should be fairly easy to enforce consequenses that deter the sale for profit. At some point isn't that the root of the whole problem? Kids won't pay too much as they simply can't. Hopefully the acceptance of it as a problem and tragic events help stop the issue before it spreads.
Posted by: CB | Feb 28, 2007 3:10:30 PM
He should have taken a Lactaid...
Posted by: Red | Feb 28, 2007 3:18:19 PM
What about the parents? If according to his brother this had occurred previously, why weren't the parent's (or guardians involved Where's the accountability? Fortunate or unfortunate, sad or not, it's a situation that could have been avoided.
Posted by: VO | Feb 28, 2007 4:54:18 PM
Jello, a child is dead. That's what is so sad about it. Compound that with the fact that many many children die from their own self destruction, and it is truly sad. I'm not saying anybody has to cry about it (it IS somebody else's problem, right?), but I'm thinking you do not have children (who at least are teenagers), or you wouldn't place such little value on the life of someone that age.
Posted by: Jazz | Feb 28, 2007 5:11:17 PM
this is not disd's responsibility...where are the parents, or should i say, maybe the parents need parenting classes.
Posted by: cantu | Mar 1, 2007 3:26:04 AM
I like how the "agencies" wait till somebody dies to actually make an effort to do something about this..
when was this problem brought up to them.. I think I read it on here a month ago..
Posted by: oz | Mar 1, 2007 3:30:50 AM
Great, so now not only does one life get tarnished. Another life does because of the sale of the drug. When will this country start taking responsibility for its own actions. Instead of always blaming someone else.
Posted by: blast | Mar 1, 2007 2:24:29 PM
Those of you who say , where are the parents ,blame the parents ? Were you not ever a teenager hiding things from your parents?It's the people selling this crap
to our kids. Can you imagine a child unahappy , someone comes up to him and says hey try this it'll make you forget . This is how things like this happen or somewhat I'm sure. Wake up people!
I agree with JelloBafria .
Our government needs to quit taking money away from our schools and invest more to educate these YOUNG kids about drugs. One session (1 week) of D.A.R.E is'nt enough !!!
Posted by: J.E | Mar 1, 2007 9:39:17 PM
Education, parenting skills, keeping the kids interested in life and its' activities. This is what the kids need to keep em from being bored and looking for a thrill elsewhere. It's not one thing, it's all of em.
The war on drugs is not working, SPEND THE MONEY ON THE KIDS, NOT THE POLITICIANS!
May Oscar Gutierrez rest in peace now, he was too young to die.
Posted by: bill from UTAH | Mar 2, 2007 4:37:07 PM
What we need are better drugs!
What if we had a free drug for depressed kids that didn't kill them or decay their brain? What if it was really hard to overdose? Ideally they could take more if they were still depressed.
They don't need a top of the hill drug, just one where they feel OK.
Ideally the drug would let them sit in school quietly and remember some of what they were taught.
Maybe if they graduate from school and get an OK job they would not feel as depressed.
Posted by: Barney | Mar 4, 2007 9:10:30 PM
Probably just a bit of confusion but the DEA, Dallas Police and Dallas ISD Police had already been working together to track the heroin sources for months before the death of Oscar Gutierrez. There was a news report last week in Dallas of the bust of a major heroin supplier that reportedly the culmination of several months worth of effort following leads. I guess they just weren't very public about their ongoing efforts until the community demanded action...
Posted by: J | Mar 9, 2007 7:06:32 PM
RIP homie
Posted by: Nani | Aug 31, 2007 12:49:19 PM
To whom this my concern,
To all the poeple who go through this its never to late to go back and change the mistakes you made and never to late to talk to someone about it i know i dont have the same problem but i do suffer with eating disorders very bad ones also but i have taken the courage and power of my self to change my life and to differ my thougts and my mental sayings it has worke dout much better and thanks to my wonderful friends, and my wonderful texas stuies teacher
GOD BLESS EVERYONE!!!!
Posted by: monica | Nov 13, 2007 11:32:26 PM
I have a nephew hooked on "cheese". He is now in rehab. Hopefully he comes out fine and I wish the law was more hard on the ppl that sell this drug. I had a friend back in high school about 6yrs ago that died of a "cheese" over dose and they never made such a big deal about the drug. This drug has been around for yrs and they shoushould've made a big deal about it back then and it probably wouldn't have gotten this bad.
Posted by: Alma | Dec 15, 2007 8:21:12 PM
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