PHOENIX — One pill, one decision, and for two Arizona families, a loss that changed everything.
Those families shared their stories Wednesday night, warning other parents and kids about the deadly risk of fentanyl during a community forum.
Arizona's Department of Health Services reports that nearly 75-percent of non-fatal overdoses involve fentanyl.
In 2025, fentanyl was a factor in 1,529 overdose deaths in Maricopa County. The Maricopa County Fatal Overdose Dashboard states, “After a decline in 2024, the proportion of fatal overdoses involving opioids resurged in 2025.”
It's why families who have been impacted came together to highlight the risks, and send the message that protecting kids starts at home.
“Noah had a lot of energy, definitely was a very smart kid. He was really good at sports. I coached him in flag football since he was eight,” Gustavo Ayala, Noah Ayala’s father, told ABC15.
Noah Ayala was 17 years-old when his parents say he made one decision that cost him his life; he experimented with a pill, then died from a fentanyl overdose.
“We just want kids to know that it's not just statistics or numbers they hear,” Vanessa Ayala, Noah Ayala’s mother, said. “These are actually people. And a lot of them are youth that are making that one mistake, and can't learn from that mistake.”
Gina Guzman knows that pain too. She says her 24-year-old daughter Desiray Rodriguez took what she thought was Valium.
“It was a counterfeit pill laced with fentanyl, and unfortunately, it took her life,” Guzman said.
These families turned their loss into a warning, joining law enforcement and prevention experts at the fentanyl awareness forum called “Protecting Our Kids Starts at Home: A Back-To-School Community Forum on Substance Use Prevention.”
The DEA says the threat remains staggering.
“The DEA in Arizona has seized over 10 million pills. That's over 10 million pills from January all the way to July,” Polo Ruiz, DEA Phoenix Special Agent in Charge, said. “There was several years ago, of going back about three years, 7 out of 10 pills had the lethal dose. It's gone down now to 3 out of 10 pills. So out of the 10, I would say 3 million have been saved.”
Friends should always look out for one another, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell says, without worrying about legal consequences.
“If you’re with somebody, and they’ve been using drugs, and they’re having a problem, a medical problem, you can call the police and not worry about getting in trouble. We have the Good Samaritan law here,” Mitchell said.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s office sees thousands of cases involving fentanyl each year, although the numbers dropped in 2025 compared to previous years:
- 2021: 4,690
- 2022: 7,104
- 2023: 8,975
- 2024: 6,811
- 2025: 3,923
There have been no arrests in Ayala or Rodriguez’s cases.
Scottsdale Police tell ABC15 Ayala’s case remains an ongoing investigation and continues to be reviewed by detectives and prosecutors.
Their families say the best prevention starts with candid conversations between parents and their kids.
“There's no experimenting,” Guzman said. “This is a different age, and anything you try, that you're not getting a prescription from your doctor, from the pharmacy, is risking your life.”
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