OKLAHOMA –
After losing his 3-year-old son to a fentanyl overdose, Jacob Towe is making it his mission for mandatory fentanyl testing to become law for parents under Department of Human Services (DHS) supervision.
The bill, Leo’s Law, was recently introduced with a goal to strengthen child welfare protecting children from fentanyl overdoses.
If passed, it will mandate fentanyl testing in specific DHS cases.
It’s a fight that has pained Towe for the past couple of years.
Leonardo “Leo” Towe died in June of 2024 in Okmulgee, Oklahoma from ingesting fentanyl.
Both parents shared joint custody and Towe said Leo’s mom was under the Department of Human Services’ supervision.
“So when she completed her drug test, Leo was returned with her and passed away 3 or 4 months afterwards,” said Towe.
In disbelief, Towe added, “They didn’t test her for it so it just blew my mind.”
Towe said whenever Leo’s mom completed her drug tests, she was always reunited with him.
“After like, six months, when I got the autopsy results back, I just knew that it was something that could have been prevented. And I came up with the idea for this law,”said Towe.
In just a decade Senator Dick Durbin said this has become the deadliest drug in American history.
“All it takes is just two milligrams: that’s a fraction of a size of a penny to cause an overdose,” added Durbin.
Towe has joined forces with other parents who have lost their little ones to fentanyl poisonings in hopes of raising awareness.
“It’s so sad because there’s so there’s another person joining the group every week. And this is not a group that you’re happy when people join,”said Towe.
He added every day is a struggle and he is working to forgive Leo’s mom.
Towe added God is the only reason he has come this far with his grief.
The law will also help prevent unsafe reunification with parents.
Parents could also face felony charges for exposing a child to fentanyl.
If the law passes, Oklahoma would be the first state in the nation to include fentanyl in its testing to protect children.
