When tragedy strikes, it’s not often that something good can overshadow the death of a loved one. However, for the Hebert family from Kinder, their daughter’s death hopefully will be a catalyst to save the lives of others.
Gabriella “Gabby” Nicole Hebert, 19, daughter of Jason and Judy Hebert of Kinder, died earlier this year. She had battled drug usage during her young life. She had even moved from Louisiana in a quest to clean and change her life.
“Our Gabby passed away March 8, 2022, from a pill she trusted because she got it from a friend. The pill was laced with fentanyl and she died in her sleep,” her mother said.
The purpose of Gabby’s Law, named after Gabriella Hebert and passed by the Louisiana Legislature this year, will hopefully save lives of people who are addicted to illegal narcotics. The law will prevent law enforcement from tagging rapid fentanyl test strips as drug paraphernalia.
Between 2011 and 2017, nationally the death rate from the growing opioid epidemic increased by 1,125 percent according to mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.livestories.com/statistics/louisiana/fentanyl-deaths-mortality). The data goes on to state, “one of the main culprits behind the growing opioid epidemic are synthetic opioids like fentanyl.” Substances like fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are being illegally manufactured and mixed with illegal narcotics like pills, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc.
The law, now known as Gabby’s Law (now R.S. 40:1021B – which was Act 2022, #137) was made possible with the help of Gabby’s uncle, Sheriff Doug Hebert III. “The evening after we buried our daughter Gabby, Sheriff Hebert drove to Baton Rouge, so he could be there the next morning when session started back up at the capital,” her mother explained.
The sheriff said he found out the bill introduction was already in motion. He just appeared before the committee and testified what he saw as an officer, a sheriff and a family member. He said they added Gabby’s name to it in her memory.
State Representative Dustin Miller of Opelousas, District 40, introduced House Bill 212. It was co-authored by several representatives and senators.
To enact R.S. 40:1021(B), relative to drug-related objects; to provide relative to the definition of drug paraphernalia; to exclude rapid fentanyl test strips from the definition of drug paraphernalia; and to provide for related matters.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
Section 1. R.S. 40:1021(B) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
§1021. Definitions
B. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the term “drug paraphernalia” shall not include rapid fentanyl test strips (FTS) or any testing equipment or devices solely used, intended for use, or designed to determine whether a substance contains fentanyl or its analogues.
Section 2. This Act shall be cited and referred to as “Gabby’s Law”.
It was Representative Dewitt Carrier who made the amendment referred to as “Gabby’s Law.”
Hebert said before this law, everything associated with narcotics like scales, pipes, papers, etc. were considered paraphernalia and were chargeable offenses. He said with the new law, they are not condoning the use of narcotics. They are trying to save lives because fentanyl is so dangerous.
“It’s so big,” he said. “So dangerous. We are losing lots of folks.” The process to fight addiction is hard and often appears to be a losing battle between human and narcotic. With this law, the sheriff said, “at least that person has a chance to test it with a test strip.”
He said test strips will probably be given out to health units and other agencies across the state to encourage those using illegal narcotics the opportunity to test their items they are using. The sheriff said parents who think their child might dabble with narcotics should discuss the dangers of narcotics laced with items like fentanyl. He said law enforcement knows how dangerous fentanyl is, and they are seeing more and more cases of people dying from using drugs laced with it.
“It’s a mechanism – a tool to save lives,” the sheriff said in reference to the law and test strips. He said one case involved three people smoking marijuana in Oberlin laced with fentanyl, and two died from that incident. He explained it’s not a medical grade narcotic in this case, and there is no way someone would know if or how much fentanyl was used on the narcotic. So even though law enforcement doesn’t condone illegal use of narcotics, they would like to see subjects survive and know what they are using.
Sheriff Hebert also plans to ask the legislature in the coming year to enhance the penalties for people who push distribution of narcotics laced with fentanyl. He’s hoping if he can strengthen the law, then it might help slow down the transportation of fentanyl and other opioid laced narcotics. Increased penalties may change the mind of someone selling marijuana that was a misdemeanor charge to a felony charge if it is found to be laced with fentanyl.
“We got to do something because we are just hoping people won’t do it. Hoping – we’ve been hoping for 100 years. It’s highly addictive. And in this case if the high doesn’t kill you, it makes you want more. Fentanyl is highly addictive.”
When the family card is added, Hebert said one wonders what more they could have done to help that person. He said the penalty for using illegal narcotics for young people – one mistake of using something you were not aware was laced with a deadly drug – should not be death.
“It’s a small thing. Hopefully it will help. I believe its a step in the right direction. We’ve had several deaths, teens; at least 20 in the last year. We see it in everything.” The sheriff said when he heard they were considering the act that became Gabby’s Law, he went and shared his family’s story with them. He said it was nice they named it in her honor. He said no one was against it. They all supported it.
“Most often we’re passing laws to criminalize something and adding a penalty. This is an act about saving lives. It’s one of the few laws not put there to send someone to jail; it’s to save a life,” Sheriff Hebert said.
A mother’s message;
Gabby’s life
Judy Hebert said, “As the parent of a drug addict, it is hard to see how anything good can come from the struggle. I don’t agree with the drug addictions; I don’t like it, but if we can save one life with this law then we’ve done our part in her honor.”
Her mother said if Gabby had testing strips, she might be alive today. “She trusted a friend or supplier and didn’t think twice about it. She had actually died in April of 2021 from the same thing, a pill laced with fentanyl, but God gave her another chance She was brought to the ER in Lake Charles and was resuscitated and laid on that gurney promising she would never do it again.
“But anyone that knows the struggle of addiction knows that it is way harder than anyone can comprehend. It’s a disease many of us don’t even pretend to understand. This law will absolutely help us cope and remember her. It’s an honor to have something so vital during this epidemic to be named after her. I will tell her story for the rest of my life if it means saving lives.
Gabby came home from Biloxi on the Sunday before March 8. Her mom said it was only for a couple of days. On Monday night, her parents took her to eat crawfish, one of her favorite foods.
“She looked really good, like she was clean and finally had her life together.” Gabby wanted to spend the night at a friend’s in Lake Charles. They were a good group of kids and she found peace being with someone who accepted all of her flaws.
“We didn’t know she had gotten some pills to help her cope with the depression she was struggling with. She just wanted to sleep through it. The friend left for work early that morning and said Gabby was awake and even talked to him. I guess after he left for work, she took the one pill. Then when he got back from work that afternoon, she had passed. Someone told me later that in Calcasieu Parish that week 10 young people had lost their lives to fentanyl.”
Judy said she is working hard to share Gabby’s story and hopefully change someone else’s ending. She met the mother of “Millie’s Law,” through a Facebook group she belongs to. “It is a law to increase penalties for sale and distribution of fentanyl. Together we plan to march and bring awareness and education to young and old. Kids now-a-days are too trusting. Gabby would tell me that all the time….. ‘he’s a good person, I can trust him.’”
Gabby graduated from Kinder High in 2020 and attended the Ritz Academy Cosmetology School in Lake Charles where she graduated in the fall of 2021. She moved out-of-state before her death to try to change the path of her life.
Her mom recalled the short life. She said they adopted Gabby, who came to live with them four days after her birth. At 10 months, her birth parents did try to win custody of her unsuccessfully.
“Growing up she had a comical and talented personality,” Judy said. “She liked to sing and take pictures of herself. She was forever saying comical things that to her made complete sense, we began calling these sayings “Gabbyisms.” Everyone has a favorite “Gabbyism.”
Judy said when Gabby was 14, in 2016, she attended a modeling camp in Dallas, and the woman hosting the camp was from Europe and a model herself. She immediately fell in love with Gabby and took her under her wing. At the age of 15, Gabby began her modeling career after traveling to Miami where she did massive photo-shoots and met with modeling agencies. She got invited to the European Modeling Showcase in Paris, France, in May of 2017 and signed with an agency there. Then she went to Greece in the fall of 2017 to work for VM Models. She stayed a month before traveling to New York in November of 2017 for more photos and agency meets.
“It was a great life and she loved it, but when she was told to quit eating burgers, fries and cokes,” her mom said. “Well she couldn’t live like that, so she started showing pigs for 4H and just liked to go, go, go….”
“She loved being with her many friends and always looking for a good party. After graduation, she wanted to start school for cosmetology and maybe travel to work with the modeling agencies to get the girls ready for photo-shoots. She knew exactly what the camera needed.”
Gabby’s mom said she is not sure when her daughter began to dabble with drugs. “I’m pretty sure it began with weed and from there it escalated into something more – a little bit at a time. She was very gullible and trusted everyone, no matter their reason for wanting to be around her. Her biggest struggle was living in Lake Charles and being closer to her contacts.”
Judy said while attending cosmetology school, Gabby had idle time on her hands. She also was away from her parents. “She was in-and-out-of-trouble, off-and-on drugs and finally in December of 2021, right after Christmas she agreed to go live at a rehabilitation facility out of state. She was there four weeks and walked out. She said she knew what she needed to do now and could do it on her own. Unfortunately we all know how that turned out.”
Judy said she and her husband have an open-door policy with all of their children. She said Gabby knew she could come home to get clean. “She would sleep with us with trembles and sweats. She couldn’t eat or drink until it was out of her system. We sat on our swing many days and nights talking about everything she had done and talking about how to fix it. She cried many, many times, saying she didn’t want to be an addict and she knew she would always be an addict. She couldn’t beat it.”
She said her advice “to parents is to talk as a friend and caring parent about this. If you think your kid is perfect and not doing drugs or weed, you are probably wrong and if they aren’t doing anything like drugs then you are very blessed. We can raise them and teach them all the morals and dos and don’ts until we are blue in the face, but sometimes the decisions they make when they walk out your door is another story.”
She encouraged parents to work with their children and bring them wherever they need to go for help. “Gabby needed friends that loved her and wanted to be with her, but sadly because she was an addict, a lot of her friends and/or friend’s parents did not like her being around. This, my friends, only makes the addiction worse. Drugs are used to escape the pains of the real cruel world. Be a mentor, a friend and just be there. Offer help or have your child call me. I will be glad to talk to anyone that needs it.”
“After her funeral, I spoke with some of her friends that battle this terrible demon. I promised them I would be there for them if no one else could. I also told them to look at my face, this is the face of a momma that just kissed her child for the last time in a body bag. I beg you to be better so your parents never have to go through this. It is life changing. I hope that parents have their kids read Gabby’s story and turn to each other and talk about it. That’s where it starts.”
