CENTREVILLE, Va. -- One year after his daughter died of a heroin overdose, one Fairfax County father made an emotional speech to community members at a meeting on teenage heroin use. Police said it is still a growing and disturbing trend among local high school students.
"It's not some inner-city issue," Greg Lannes said of heroin use among teens in the suburban area. "We want the impact of our pain to be felt by the community."
His daughter, Alicia Lannes, was 19 years old when she died last March. Her boyfriend, Skylar Marti Schnippel, was charged with providing her the heroin that killed her.
The death launched a federal investigation into a heroin ring in Centreville. Current and and former Westfield High students Lokesh Rawat, David Schreider, Joshua Quick, and Daniel Nash all got sentences ranging from nearly four years to 20 years behind bars for their involvement in the ring last week.
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Still, police say there's concern about heroin use among area teens, many of whom come from privileged backgrounds.
"We're seeing kids on the honor roll, band students, kids in athletics and sports... become involved in heroin," said Fairfax County Police Commander Ron Lantz.
Lannes hopes his daughter's story will serve as a stark reminder of the consequences of drug use.
"Alicia's looking over us now," Lannes said after the meeting. "[She's] given me the strength to do what I'm doing."
