By: Andrew Delgado
An alleged heroin overdose may have claimed another life of a young adult in the Santa Clarita Valley, as Carlie Renee Coulter, 22, was found dead in an apartment Wednesday morning.
Action Family Counseling and Action Parent-Teen Support Group held a press conference Thursday to address the issue within the Valley. Cary Quashen, founder of Action, has seen this disease attack young adults time and time again and is saying “enough is enough.”
“This is yet another wake-up call for the residents of Santa Clarita and I will keep calling attention to this epidemic,” Quashen said. “This is a disease that knows no gender, age, race or class and it makes me sick to have to bury another Santa Clarita resident because of substance abuse. Enough is enough.”
Carlie is survived by her mother, Sonja Coulter, father, Charles Coulter, and brother and sister, Charles Junior and Chloe Coulter.
In an emotional conference with Carlie’s family held at Action, Carlie’s mother Sonja said with the death of Carlie she now has lost her best friend and is heart broken in how such a beautiful life is now wasted.
“It’s just so tough, these parents need to start getting involved with their kids,” Charles Junior Coulter said. “Even if they think something is going on, get in your kids’ lives because after they are gone you aren’t going to get any more chances and that’s it.”
Carlie had been battling her heroin addiction for close to three years and had been through a few state funded rehab programs. She recently graduated rehab and was clean for about nine months. Upon coming back to Santa Clarita she relapsed.
Coulter has become the seventh young adult in the Santa Clarita Valley to fall to their addiction to heroin this year alone. The Coulter family and Cary Quashen of Action held the press conference Thursday to inform Santa Clarita just on how much heroin has become an issue in their hometown.
“I do not want Carlie’s life to go in vain, I want it to count for something,” Quashen said. “She was a great kid that made bad decisions and it takes one bad decision.”
The Coulter family and Cary Quashen with the help of Action has set up a memorial fund for Carlie. They are asking the Santa Clarita community to get involved with their kids to put an end to this epidemic.
“What’s transpired over the last couple of days is incredible. We’ve raised nearly $1,500 in 24 hours for Carlie’s memorial service, and the outpouring of support is tremendous,” Quashen said.
To donate to Carlie’s memorial fund page go to actionfamilycounseling.com or http://actionfamilycounseling.com/content/carlie-renee-coulter-funeral-fund
There you can read about her story and it will direct you to the donations page. All donations will be done online and whatever is received will be given to the Coulter family.