Ciara Gilliam's parents hit back, offer $50K to identify dealer who sold daughter the fentanyl she overdosed on
DES MOINES, IOWA: Ciara Gilliam, 22, died of fentanyl overdose in August in Iowa. Now, her family is offering a large cash reward to anyone who can identify the drug dealer that sold her the drugs."We cannot bring Ciara back. The epidemic in Iowa is out of control," Robert Gilliam, the father of the 22-year-old, told FOX Television Stations. Robert said he’s not afraid. He knows it’s dangerous. But he said that the situation is worth the risk because it’s a problem not only affecting his family but the entire country. "If we can get one drug dealer off the street, it is our hope that we can save one life."
Gilliam's family said that any information given to the family will be provided to the Des Moines Police Department. They are now offering a reward of up to $50,000 to the person who can provide the name, address, and phone number of the dealer who was responsible for selling Ciara the drugs, no questions asked. Robert said that his daughter's boyfriend became concerned on August 23 that he could not get in touch with Ciara, prompting her mother and stepfather to perform a wellness check. They tried their daughter's employer who said she had the day off.
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Gilliam's parents discovered their daughter's car in the driveway at her house. "They knocked on the door and knocked on the windows. No one answered," Robert said. "Ciara’s bedroom window was unlocked and her stepfather climbed through the window and found Ciara deceased on her bedroom floor." Later an investigation revealed that Ciara had died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl.
The death comes amid a fentanyl epidemic in the US, with 107,000 Americans having died of drug overdoses in 2021, roughly 80,000 of whom died from overdosing on fentanyl. That number represented a 23 percent jump from the year before, a grim reality that has now hit Ciara's family. "She was our everything," Robert said. "This is leaving a lot of heartache and a huge void in our lives. Ciara called us multiple times a day. We had the best relationship that a mother, father and daughter could ever have."
By going after the drug dealer responsible for their daughter's death, the family hopes they can do their part to save at least one life and serve as a warning to those who sell the potentially fatal drug. "We hope this serves notice to the drug dealers that there are some of us that will stand up and take action when no one else will," Robert added. A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help with the family’s expenses.