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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Technology
Katie McQue

‘A black hole’: families and police say tech giants delay investigations in child abuse and drug cases

Side-by-side photos of two teens
Max Osterman, 18, died in 2021 after taking fentanyl-laced pills bought on Snapchat, and Avery Ping, 16, died in 2024 after purchasing what he believed was ecstasy on the app. Composite: Obtained by The Guardian

Max Osterman was 18 when he connected with a drug dealer on Snapchat who used the handle skyhigh.303. Max would message him whenever he wanted to buy Percocet, and they would meet. After about a year, and just days after their last exchange, Max collapsed. The pills he ordered had been laced with fentanyl. He died from the overdose in February 2021 at his home in Broomfield, Colorado.

The dealer continued selling prescription painkillers until 2023, when he was jailed on two drug distribution convictions. When handing down the sentence, the judge said he was responsible for four deaths, yet he never faced charges for supplying the pills that killed Max.

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