AUSTIN, Texas — On the eve of National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, JoAnn and Richard Lopez are reflecting on the loss of their 26-year-old granddaughter, Victoria Trevino. Trevino's grandmother describes her as "kind," "loving" and "showing a lot of empathy" for those in need.
"She took care of my husband and I," JoAnn Lopez said. "I was supposed to grow old, and she was going to take care of me. I feel a lot of people were not too kind to Victoria in this world."
JoAnn Lopez said it has been three years since her "angel" was given wings.
"She took a pill. I believe it was a Percocet," she said. "[It] was laced with fentanyl."
Richard Lopez said it's hard to forgive himself after his granddaughter's death.
"It's hard when you discover the loss of a loved one, and you realize you were ignorant of all the signs there," he said.
Austin police told KVUE the case was investigated by the department's Homicide Unit, but it was later not ruled a homicide. The case is now closed, and no further investigation is taking place.
But JoAnn and Richard Lopez say they still want justice, with hopes to support other families affected by fentanyl.
"Any justice they get in my heart is justice for Victoria too," JoAnn Lopez said.
Now that prosecutors in Texas are allowed to charge someone who manufactures or distributes fentanyl with murder, JoAnn and Richard Lopez are hopeful the more knowledge and awareness they share can spare others from suffering the same pain.
"It is the most horrible grief that I have ever experienced. I feel broken, and it devastates families. I don't want nobody to lose their children," JoAnn Lopez said. "There's so many angels up in heaven, and I hope that they see our work and that they're rooting us on."
She is doing her part to honor her own angel who is now looking down.