MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — A Skagit County mother is pushing for changes to the way death certificates are filled out after her son was poisoned with a counterfeit painkiller.
She said the current system isn't telling the full story and is leaving out vital information.
Trey Schweigert died after taking what he thought was a Percocet after having orthopedic surgery. The person who sold it to him was later convicted of controlled substance homicide.
Trey's mom wants his death certificate to reflect that — but the county coroner refuses.
Carol Schweigert regularly tends to a memorial tree planted for Trey, who died after accidentally ingesting fentanyl six years ago.
"You carry it with you for the best of your life," she said. "It's extremely painful losing a child. It changes everything about your world."
Now, Trey's death certificate is filling Schweigert with grief.
It lists the cause of his death as "acute intoxication" from fentanyl, the manner as "accident."
It's a third box Schweigert wants changed, where it lists "how the injury occurred." That box also states "acute intoxication."
Schweigert said she believes it should read "controlled substance homicide" because that's what the person who sold Trey the pill went to prison for.
"Anybody who is knowingly selling fentanyl is knowingly selling death," Schweigert said.
But the Skagit County coroner is refusing to make the change.
In a letter to Schweigert, Hayley Thompson writes the death must be due to "a volitional (intentional) act to cause death."
KING 5 News reached out to the Skagit County Coroner for an explanation. She declined comment.
Schweigert points to guidance from the U.S. Department of Health that states intent is not necessary.
She said the change is about respect for her son and the family that continues to grieve his death.
"He was an amazing soul in this world. He deserves the respect of having that recorded accurately," Schweigert said.
Schweigert believes failing to specifically note that people were victims of homicide is doing the entire community a disservice.
"We're not keeping an accurate account of what's happening. So, the data given to our communities is skewed," Schweigert said. "If you have an overdose death, that addresses the disease of addiction. If you have a homicide, that's a different set of legislation, a different set of community responses."
It's believed Schweigert is the first in the area to request such a change.
Schweigert said she will not stop fighting because her son and his memory deserve it.
"This is the final piece of closure I'm looking for to try to find a little bit of peace on this planet before I'm gone," she said.