A reporter tells the story of his daughter's fentanyl overdose

The story was about good Samaritan laws and overdoses of drugs. She spoke to three mothers whose children had died of overdoses.

After work, she received a call from her ex-husband: her own daughter, Emily, had suffered a fatal overdose of fentanyl at age 21.

"My world has come off me," Kennecke said in an interview with USA TODAY. "The carpet was removed under me, I do not know how I managed it."

Kennecke, who had covered the opioid epidemic for years through his work as an investigative journalist, was now feeling its impact within his family. And she chose to share her story to help other parents and addicts.

"I just felt that I had the obligation to come forward and say that it was happening, that it had happened to my family, it could happen to you," he said. she said. "It could happen to anyone."

More: The opioid crisis is hitting the house. Mine.

Kennecke describes Emily, the eldest of four children, talented, creative and outgoing, who loves sports, arts and other activities.

"She was really just an amazing person," she said.

Kennecke began to worry when she noticed that Emily had become fascinated by the drug culture. She hung out with friends "I did not approve so much," Kennecke said. Then she spotted changes in her appearance and absences during family events.

After learning that one of Emily's friends had died of an overdose, Kennecke began calling drug treatment centers. The day Emily died, Kennecke said that she was working on letters as part of an intervention.

"I know what you are supposed to do and what you are not supposed to do, and I was just walking with my own daughter, trying to find out what to do," Kennecke said.

Shortly after her death, she received an anonymous letter from someone from her community. The writer also talked about how addiction affected their family. It is at this point that Kennecke decided to share Emily's story.