SCOTTSDALE — It's been 52 days since the Ayala family changed forever. Noah, a 17-year-old Scottsdale senior, was found dead in his room by his siblings.
"March 17th is the worst day of my life," Natalia Ayala said. "It was at 3:15 that my life forever changed. It was at that time where my brother and I had found Noah."
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Natalia was one of the featured speakers at the Fighting Fentanyl Together Community Forum at Pinnacle High School in Scottsdale Wednesday night. The event, moderated by Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and hosted by Valley nonprofit notMYkid was an open discussion about the rise in fentanyl use in Arizona and the recent overdose deaths.
"I should be driving to go pick up Noah from work, not driving with my family to go sit and visit him at the cemetery," said Natalia from the stage.
Gustavo Ayala, Natalia and Noah's father, recalled the day he received a phone call that changed his life forever.
"They told us to pull over and that's when they told us the news. My wife got out of the car and for the next hour and a half, was the worst cry I've ever heard in my life," he said.
The Ayala family later learned that Noah had purchased pills from someone he knew, but his parents said he didn't know he was buying fentanyl. Scottsdale Police are calling this a death investigation but have not made any arrests as of Wednesday night.
Gustavo said his family is trying to move forward by dedicating their lives to sharing Noah's story and helping other families affected by the fentanyl crisis in Arizona.
