Let’s start with the science first. Then we’ll tell you the story of a man named Mitch, and conclude with a few answers and some still-lingering questions. 

First, what exactly is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a human-made opioid that has the same chemical structure as opium, which is derived from the poppy plant. Fentanyl is much stronger than morphine and can be very addicting. It can also be deadly. 

Fentanyl was first developed in 1959 by the pharmaceutical company Janssen Parmaceutica. It was used primarily for medical purposes to treat chronic pain and other conditions. It was in the early 2000s that fentanyl patches were introduced, followed by other products like ‘lollipops’ that had the drug in them, according to the web site The Recovery Village. It was during the mid-2000s when a sharp increase in deaths from illegal fentanyl began occurring. 

Fentanyl can be a powder, it can be put in eye droppers or nasal sprays, or it can come in pill form. 

The CDC has a lot of information regarding illegal fentanyl, including how it has become a major contributor in both lethal and non-lethal overdoses in the U.S. You can learn more from the CDC’s Stop Overdose initiative.

We in the Pacific Northwest are not immune to the increase of overdose deaths. The Washington State Department of Health has developed a dashboard to help communities understand the public health crisis surrounding unintentional drug overdose. The dashboard contains data on “circumstances surrounding unintentional and undetermined drug overdose deaths in Washington.”

A University of Washington study shows that the most populated counties in the state (King, Pierce, and Snohomish) had a 200% or higher increase in deaths from accidental opioid overdose between 2020–2022. Some of the smaller counties saw an even greater increase: Walla Walla County saw a 500% increase, Yakima and Klickitat Counties numbers increased by over 600%, and Franklin County’s opioid deaths increased by over 800%.   

Mitch’s story

Mitchel Pierzchala (Mitch) was a young man with a baby daughter, Penelope, and a fiancé, Niisa Dunlap. They lived in Oak Harbor, Washington, in Island County, a small community that is home to under 90,000 people. 

Mitch died on January 18, 2020. 

He was 23 years old.

Niisa reached out to Tumbleweird because she wants to tell Mitch’s story. She also wants help to get some answers to lingering questions about his death. 

Niisa met Mitch in 2016, when they were working together. She says that Mitch was the sweetest man she has ever met. He would make small gestures just to be kind, like bringing her a piece of cheesecake to cheer her up, even back when they barely knew each other. 

Their relationship started off as just friends. They were both living and working in Oak Harbor. Both Niisa and Mitch would go to parties, and would sometimes drink or smoke weed. “Nothing really stronger than that,” said Niisa. But Mitch had a bad back; and on occasion, his best friend, Dylan Vanosdol, would share half of one of his pain pills with Mitch. 

Mitch and Dylan were childhood best friends, said Niisa. But Dylan was not the best influence on Mitch. Niisa could see that when they were together, Dylan would manipulate Mitch. The relationship between the two men troubled Niisa — she saw how Dylan would use his depression and suicidal ideation to keep Mitch around. 

In 2017, Niisa and Mitch began dating, and they eventually moved in with a family member who was also familiar with the struggles of addiction. Niisa says that addiction is something few people understand. “Many people who use aren’t trying to ruin their own lives, they just want a day where everything feels okay, where everything stops hurting so much, where things feel less overwhelming,” she says. “Some substances ‘help’, but that cycle of ‘trying to feel better’ continues at a huge cost. And when you love someone, and you know their daily struggles, it’s both hard to blame them and hard to accept.” 

Niisa said that Mitch and her family member would sometimes suddenly fall asleep after using, and would often have symptoms of drug withdrawal. But Mitch would explain away the symptoms, saying they weren’t because of drugs. And for the most part, Niisa says that their relationship was good. “We had each other, and so much hope for a better tomorrow.”

A few months later, Niisa got pregnant, and she and Mitch were happy about it. They excitedly anticipated the birth of their little girl. Mitch wrote Niisa this note:

I know it’s still pretty early, but I find myself becoming more and more excited. With each passing day, we come closer to meeting our little Penelope! I was terrified at first, but as your due date draws closer, I find each and every fear being replaced with joy and excitement. Imagine all the family trips, walks to the park, and stargazing. 

I’m just so happy; this is more than I could have asked for. I cannot wait to come home to you guys and give you the biggest hugs!

I love you till eternity,

Yours, and no one else’s,

—Mitch

Niisa thought that starting a family would help Mitch get sober. She thought that things would get better, remaining hopeful even as she saw signs that Mitch was increasing his drug use. 

Penelope was born that spring. They seemed to be doing well. Pictures of the happy young couple tell a story of a family filled with hope. 

It was in December that Niisa realized things were worse for Mitch than she had realized. On December 23, 2019, Mitch overdosed. 

Niisa and Penelope were sleeping and Mitch got up to go to work. Niisa says he told her to stay sleeping, and that he would go make breakfast. It was some time later that she woke up and realized how late it had become; Mitch had never come back to wake her up for breakfast.

Niisa got up and put Penny in her crib. When she walked out to the living room, she found Mitch on the floor, face down. He was having trouble breathing and he was unconscious. Niisa panicked and couldn’t locate their cell phone, so she had to run to a neighbor’s to call 911. 

Then Niisa ran back to Mitch and began lifesaving compressions. “That was the first and hopefully the only time I had to do CPR in my life. I was able to save him that day,” says Niisa. 

When the ambulance came, they rushed Mitch to a hospital in the neighboring city of Coupeville where the doctors were able to give him reversal drugs and save his life.

Mitch was embarrassed and just wanted to leave, said Niisa. He didn’t want to deal with it at all. Niisa asked for resources from the doctor, and felt like he was being dismissive with her, too. 

She asked again for help, and Niisa recalls his response: “(The) doctor was just like… look, I've seen so many overdose deaths just this week and you are incredibly lucky… that you got back to him when you did.” The doctor told her he wouldn’t give Mitch a referral to an outpatient clinic, and he sent them on their way. 

After the overdose, Mitch didn’t take the incident seriously. According to Niisa, Mitch acted like he just wanted to move on and pretend it never happened. She thinks he was in denial. 

Niisa was frustrated. She knew she had to make a drastic change. Niisa told Mitch that she wouldn’t stay in the house with Mitch any longer. She recalls telling them, “I will move back in with my mother and I will take Penelope with me, because there’s no way in hell I’m gonna let her grow up watching the two of you strung out… falling asleep, making fools of yourselves.” 

Fentanyl 

After moving out, Niisa says she began to realize that Mitch wasn’t  going to work like she had thought. She had hoped that moving out was going to wake him up to reality.  Niisa explained, “I was hoping that Mitchel understood the severity of the situation, and why I was gone, and what needed to change if he wanted us to come back.” 

On January 17, Niisa and Mitch had a long phone call. She was trying to impress upon Mitch that Penelope was growing up without him, and he needed to be more involved with his family. “I was telling him about some of the new outfits Penelope got for Christmas, and how she was just starting to walk… you know, all the little things we were excited about.” They continued to text until about midnight, when Niisa went to sleep. 

The next morning, a mutual friend called Niisa looking for Mitch. He hadn’t shown up for work. Niisa called her family member (with whom Mitch still lived), and asked him to check on Mitch. Niisa also contacted Mitch’s sister, Farah, to go check on him.

It was Farah that found his body. Mitch had died sometime in the early morning hours of January 18, 2020. 

Niisa suspects that there is more to the story. She believes that the night before, Dylan and his girlfriend, Madison, provided drugs to Mitch. Niisa had called around looking for Mitch when he hadn’t shown up for work. A mutual friend says that when she spoke to Dylan’s girlfriend, she had said, “Oh my god, do you think the cops are going to get called on Dylan?”

Niisa said Mitch really didn’t do drugs around her much. It was something he did with Dylan. And Dylan also encouraged Mitch to do it with him, away from Niisa, because Dyland knew she disapproved. According to Niisa, Dylan and Mitch had a very codependent relationship, and increasing drug use only fueled the unhealthy dynamics between them. 

Not the only one

Niisa’s suspicions about Mitch’s death only became stronger when Dylan was charged with Controlled Substances Homicide later that year for providing a pill containing fentanyl to José Colon, who overdosed and died on June 3, 2020. 

From an article in the Whidbey News Times:

On June 2, Oak Harbor police responded to a report that a man, José Colon, 40, was found dead at the Acorn Motor Inn from an apparent overdose. Officers administered CPR and gave him two doses of Naxoxone [sic], but they were unable to revive him. 

…

The Island County coroner found that Colon’s cause of death was fentanyl toxicity, an officer’s report states.

An investigator analyzed Colon’s phone with the help of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and found a message about purchasing pills from [Dylan] Vanosdol, according to the officer’s report on the investigation.

Later, Vanosdol allegedly told police that he was a drug addict and is a “middleman” who supplies illegally obtained pills to friends and associates, the report states.

Dylan admitted that he had sold a pill to José, who was his mother’s boyfriend, and was sentenced in 2022 to nine months in the county jail and a fine of $670. 

According to a 2022 article in the South Whidbey Register, Dylan Vanosdol was found guilty for providing drugs that caused an overdose death: 

A jury in Island County Superior Court last week found 27-year-old Dylan W. Vanosdol guilty of controlled substance homicide in the death of José Colon, Jr. on June 2, 2020. The jury also found him guilty of dealing fentanyl.

 The article went on to say that 10 people had died from fentanyl overdoses in Island County in the past year. 

Vanosdol was interviewed by detectives from a Skagit County drug task force as well as an Oak Harbor detective after texts showed that he offered to sell his mother and Colon “percs.” He later admitted that he delivered a pill and a half just prior to Colon’s death, according to court documents.

When Niisa read the next line of the article, she knew it was about Mitch:

Vanosdol told detectives that his lifelong friend had overdosed on fentanyl and died just a few months before Colon overdosed.

Mitch’s death

After Tumbleweird made a public records request and received the Island County Deputy Report about the night Mitch died, we contacted Rick Felici, the Island County Sheriff. Felici only replied to one email and did not comment on specifics. 

Editor’s note: The deputies listed in the report of Mitch’s overdose death all declined to comment when Tumbleweird reached out to them. Also listed in the report were Chaplain Humphrey and the now retired Coroner Dr. Bishop. In an email on June 28th,  the Sheriff explained the Chaplain would not be able to comment because of his position. 

The report on Mitch’s death is only 12 pages long. Deputy Miller wrote in the report that when they arrived after the emergency call was made by Mitch’s sister, Farah, Mitch was unresponsive and had no pulse. But he was still warm to the touch. 

The officers performed CPR. They also used an AED to try to revive Mitch. It wasn’t until just before fire and medical teams arrived to take over CPR that Roger, Niisa’s grandfather, offered his own dose of NARCAN (a nasal spray that can reverse overdose) to the police. They administered the reversal drug at that time. 

We asked Sheriff Felici about the policy of the Island County Sheriff’s Office regarding carrying NARCAN/naloxone. As of the deadline for this story, he has declined to respond, except to inform us that none of his deputies would speak with us. 

Here in the Tri-Cities, the Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD) has a program called “Carry A Second Chance.” They say anyone can stop an opioid overdose and save a life. From the BFHD website:

BFHD is encouraging employers to add naloxone to their first aid kits. And then train employees to recognize the signs of an overdose and learn how to administer naloxone. The Washington State Good Samaritan Law protects anyone when administering naloxone. 

Check The Stop Overdose website for ways you can obtain naloxone to carry in case of emergency. You can also get naloxone through the mail from The People’s Harm Reduction Alliance (PHRA).

According to the report, at 11:17am, lifesaving measures were stopped by the medics. Investigating the scene afterward, the deputies found a white, powdery substance and a rolled up dollar bill on a hard surface in Mitch’s room. The Coroner gathered the substance up for testing. Cash was also found bundled up in the room. 

Initially, the death certificate did not specify the cause of death.

In the report's supplemental narrative, Deputy Chris Peabody wrote that the Island County Coroner, Shantel Porter, stated that Mitch’s cause of death was the result of fentanyl and mitragynine toxicity. “It is noted that the amount of both substances in the body would be consistent with dosages that could be fatal,” wrote Deputy Peabody. 

When Tumbleweird asked her for comment, the Coroner on record, Shantel Porter, replied that she couldn’t comment because she hadn’t investigated the case. In a follow up email in which we showed her that she was listed on the sheriff’s office report by Deputy Peabody, Porter replied, “I can confirm an autopsy was conducted, though I would like to add that I did not personally conduct it.”

Connections between the deaths of José and Mitch

Michael Safstrom, the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Island County, wrote that he had no involvement in the investigation focused on Mitch’s death:

I only learned about Mr. Pierzchala’s death through my/law enforcement’s investigation into the death of José Colon. Most of what I could tell you … is represented in publicly filed documents (State v. Vanosdol, Island County Superior Court cause [sic] no. 20-1-00164-15).

Safstrom also said:

There are about 100 separate pleadings/motions/orders like this that were filed in the Vanosdol criminal case while it was pending.  

Then, in an email response to Niisa regarding her interest in finding out more information, Prosecutor Safstrom wrote: 

Ms. Dunlap, I am very sorry for your loss of Mr. Pierzchala. I believe you and Dori are looking for documents from the State v. Vanosdol case that reference your fiancé. Attached is a filed copy of my pre-trial ER 404(b) motion from the Vanosdol case. This particular motion references Mr. Pierzchala, although I think I misspelled his name in the motion, I apologize. Motions like this are filed with the court prior to trial, the opposing party usually files a response, the motion is argued in court and the court rules on the issue before trial begins. That is what happened in the Vanosdol case. The Court ruled that the evidence was admissible, meaning that the jury was allowed to hear this evidence at trial of Dylan Vanosdol.

There are about 100 separate pleadings/motions/orders like this that were filed in the Vanosdol criminal case while it was pending. All of these would be publicly available from the Island County Clerk’s Office, although I think you would generally have to pay to get copies. I am going to send you one additional motion which I know makes reference to Dylan Vanosdol’s statements about Mitch and prior overdoses.

In the first of these documents sent by Prosecutor Safstrom, the State of Washington used Dylan’s admission of delivering fentanyl to Mitch as evidence to prior admissions of “uncharged acts” in their case against him regarding the death of José Colon. 

Dylan Vanosdol (the defendant) admitted during his interview with Oak Harbor Police on August 11, 2020 that he was a ‘middle’ (someone who delivers a controlled substance) to Mitch Pierzchala prior to Mitch’s overdose in December. Dylan said that he knew the pills he had given Mitch were probably fentanyl. He also initially said he stopped dealing after that, but then admitted later on in the interview that had ‘middled’ a few more times, including giving controlled substances to his mother. 

Dylan also acknowledged that he had informed José that the ‘percs’ he had for sale were probably fentanyl. So, in these two documents alone, Dylan twice admitted to police that he sold José the drugs that killed him. 

In the second court document sent by Prosecutor Safstrom, the Pre-trial Motion, Dylan again said he stopped being a ‘middle’ after Mitch’s overdose in December “because there was so much fentanyl going around…”. 

But according to the Prosecution in the case, Dylan lied about stopping ‘middleing’ after Mitch’s overdose and continued to sell fake ‘percs’ leading to the death of José, for which he was convicted. 

To Niisa, it is clear that Dylan had a role in Mitch’s death. In a series of text messages from Dylan, he exclaimed that he loved Mitch. That he would do anything for him. But the messages also reference the huge weight of guilt that Dylan says he carries.

Right after Mitch died, Niisa texted Dylan asking him if he was going to the funeral. Dylan replied: “Yea of course. I’m scared about going to the viewing but I need to.”

Niisa said the police never called her to ask about Mitch or any of the circumstances around his death. 

Niisa and Penelope have moved away from Island County. Niisa joined a support group in Richland, called Death Cafe. They meet at Tri-Cities Chaplaincy, a secular nonprofit organization that offers many services, including hospice and palliative care, and grief support for adults and children. 

Niisa talks to Penelope often about Mitch, and Penelope recognizes his picture. “She says ‘Dad’ when she sees Mitch’s picture, but she has no actual memories of him.,” says Niisa. “I knew that because she was less than a year old when Mitch passed, that she wouldn’t. It still hurts more than I expected it to.”

During one of our interviews, Niisa said:

I’ve had several people ask me what I hope to gain from this experience, specifically about the article. I think, first, is that maybe I can find some solace. And in reading the [court documents regarding José’s death], it seems that Mitchel’s death did help bring some justice. 

I know that Dylan also lost Mitchel. I think a lot about how they grew up together, like brothers. I think about how Dylan also lost his mother the same year. How he lost everyone who really loved him. I think that’s enough for now. 

Earlier today, I came across a pic of Mitch, eight years ago today. But Mitch’s expression there is just love. He was so sweet and generous and funny, [so]talented. I see so much of that same love echoed in our daughter, and it’s as beautiful as it is devastating. 

I just miss him.

Mitchel was (and is) the sweetest man I’ve ever had the good fortune of knowing. He was never afraid to be himself. While that was quite vexing at times, I hope our daughter is just as fearless. Lord knows I love them to death. 

In April of 2016, I started work in the deli where Mitch and I met. He was kind of shy then, but I also noticed his humor, hard work, and compassion. On my birthday, I ended up stuck at work, but Mitch got me an energy drink and a little cheesecake. It was so sweet. He didn’t really know me — he didn’t need to do that — but he did, and that made all the difference. 

Our mutual friend said, “Hey, here’s his number, his birthday is coming up. Ask him out.”  I managed to convince Mitch, and it changed our lives for the better. May 30th came, and we went to our local Chinese restaurant. He ordered his favorite: General Tso’s, extra spicy. (It’s something I still order for myself on days I really miss him.) The restaurant played Clair de Lune, and he impressed me by playing it on his guitar, which he’d insisted on bringing. We talked and talked — about everything and nothing — and decided we didn’t want the night to end. 

We wandered down to the beach with the conversation still easily flowing. I remember shaking the entire time, sort of in awe of how comfortable I felt. We just couldn’t shut up. Eventually, the sun set, the rum we’d had disappeared, and the tide came in. So there we were: two kids sloshing back through knee-deep ocean water at midnight, drunk on each other and the beginnings of love, laughing at the moon. We pretended we were pirates and (somehow) safely made it back. 

We had a few more adventures like that. We took a trip to Crescent Lake in the middle of this crazy rainstorm that was washing out trails. Mitch and I decided to try and find waterfalls. I still have the picture we took. We’d take long walks to anywhere, just always together. It felt like I could do anything and he’d be there. He was home to me. 

By the summer of 2018, I was pregnant with our wonderful Penelope. Mitch did everything he could to make me comfortable. Although he was worried about not being a good enough father, he was the definition of supportive, tolerant, and kind. When we met Penelope in March, we were overjoyed. 

In the years to come, I will tell Penny the story of her Papa and me. It’s not fair, but what we had was beautiful. I’m forever grateful for the short time we had. Penny will know that every single day, she was his pride and joy. No matter what. He held her so carefully at first, and laid awake most nights with me, watching her beautiful face, making sure she kept breathing. He read her all the stories. When she cried, he’d play guitar for her. We celebrated her first tooth together. We encouraged her to find her voice and explore the world with us. 

By Christmas, Penny would yell “Dadadada!” when Mitch came home from work, and he’d scoop her up and run around with her on his shoulders. When she was on the cusp of being able to walk on her own, he would hold her tiny hands and walk with her. He was, and certainly is, so proud of her. 

I wear his ring and consider myself his wife. We thought there was no hurry to marry, that we’d have forever together. We thought tomorrow would be a better day. It turns out life is cruel, and those few precious moments are all we’ll ever know. 

Mitchel was my love, my hero, and my rockstar. He inspired me to be the best version of myself I could be. The beautiful light he had will carry on in Penelope. We will treasure what he taught us, and miss him forever.

Photos courtesy of Niisa Dunlap.