A Louisville mother is using a billboard near Churchill Downs to call for tougher charges against the drug dealers she believes are responsible for her son’s fentanyl-related death.
Dena Weedman said her son, Dylan Bryant, died in August after taking fentanyl. She wants whoever supplied the drugs charged not just with trafficking, but also for his death.
“He was my baby,” she said.
Bryant, remembered for his bright personality, died not knowing the source of the deadly drugs. Weedman said the dealers likely made only a small amount of money.
“So I hope that money they made off that — he probably spent 50 bucks, maybe 100 — I hope it was worth it,” she said.
This Christmas is the first that Bryant’s young son will spend without his father.
“Look at his son and explain your dad is not coming back… it’s rough,” Weedman said.
The billboard sits facing Churchill Downs, a place Bryant visited often during his addiction.
“I hope they ride by every day and look at it, but I’m sure they don’t feel anything,” Weedman said.
Kentucky reported more than 1,400 overdose deaths in 2024, with fentanyl involved in more than 60 percent of the cases.
Under Kentucky law, drug dealers can face several charges when a sale leads to death.
“There could be manslaughter. It can also be trafficking with fentanyl resulting in death, which is a Class B felony carrying 10 to 20 years in prison,” attorney and former prosecutor Leland Hulbert said.
Lawmakers strengthened the statute in 2024, allowing prosecutors to charge the sale of fentanyl resulting in death as second-degree manslaughter.
Weedman believes the penalties are still too lenient and wants harsher consequences for those she holds responsible for her son’s death.
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