Billboard in Tampa raises awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, mother uses son's story to save lives

TAMPA, Fla. - Dylan Plakstis was just 29-years-old when he died of fentanyl poisoning.

Now more than three years later, his face and his story are featured on a billboard at Dale Mabry and Swann to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and push for harsher penalties for drug dealers.

"He was just really just a good soul," Dylan's mom Tammy Plakstis said.

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She describes him as a passionate musician who loved to perform.

"The kindest, would do anything for anyone," Plakstis said.

When he was 20, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Eventually, his family moved him into a group home in New York where his mom said he was safe and getting help, but she later learned that wasn't the case.

"There happened to be some man there that was coming over to the people that lived in that house because they all had some issues and was offering free cocaine and money," Plakstis said.

Pictured: Dylan Plakstis

In December 2020, she got a call that her son was unresponsive and admitted to the hospital. He died a few days later. His autopsy showed he died of fentanyl poisoning.

"My son thought he was getting cocaine. It's not the right thing, but he thought he was getting cocaine and that's not what it was. Sometimes people make mistakes or they're experimenting. That doesn't mean they deserve to die," Plakstis said.

His face is now one of five others featured on this billboard at the corner of Dale Mabry and Swann in Tampa with the message "hidden in so-called recreational drugs, fentanyl steals loved ones."

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"If you serve something to someone that's going to kill them, they should be charged with murder," Plakstis said.

Police eventually conducted a sting operation on the dealer, and he was convicted of drug charges but has since been released and never charged in connection with Dylan's death. Tammy Plakstis hopes the billboard ultimately leads to stronger penalties for drug dealers.

"When you see those lovely young adults on that billboard not all of them were addicts, or even if they were addicts, it still doesn't mean that they deserve to die. They didn't deserve to be poisoned," Plakstis said.

Saturday, March 24, she's planning a rally at the billboard to hand out free Narcan and information about treatment and resources, hoping her son's story can help save lives.

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