The relationship therapist and television host Dr. Laura Berman and her husband do not have access to their recently deceased cell phone and must provide Apple with a death certificate before receiving the necessary approval, according to a report.
Berman, a doctor and award-winning radio and television host, told NBC for a section that aired Tuesday that she and her husband, Sam Chapman, had no choice but to wait for Apple to access their 16-year-old gets. old iPhone’s son because they do not have the password.
The teenager, Samuel “Sammy” Berman Chapman, was pronounced dead Sunday after his mother discovered him unconscious in the bedroom of his home in Santa Monica, California, shortly before 4:30 p.m. local time, police and reports said.
In a heartbreaking message shared on her Instagram, Berman explained how they had reason to believe he had an overdose of drugs.
“My beautiful son is gone. 16 years old. Home shelter,” she wrote in a caption accompanied by a photo of her and Sammy. She later added: “My heart is completely shattered and I’m not sure how I should keep breathing. I’m just placing it now so another child does not die.”
Berman wrote that she and her husband learned that their son had talked to a drug dealer via Snapchat and presumably taken drugs, possibly Xanax or Percocet, which were combined with something more dangerous than he realized, probably fentanyl.
“I know he did not know he was taking fentanyl. He was not interested in it; he was afraid of it,” she told Fox News on Tuesday. “He did not actively understand addiction and did not want to be addicted yet. Unfortunately, most American teens are experimenting with these fentanyl-like, presumably relatively innocent experimental drugs.”
A toxicological report will provide additional answers.
(Photo courtesy of Samuel Chapman)
(Photo courtesy of Samuel Chapman)
OWN GUESTS DR. LAURA BERMAN WARNS PARENTS ON OPIOUS CRISIS NEXT TEEN BOY’S PARENTING FENTANIAL
The grieving parents can no longer search their son’s phone now because an Apple policy prevents the company from unlocking his cell phone until a death certificate is issued, TODAY reports.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment on Fox News’ request for comment and additional details regarding the policy.
Meanwhile, she told Fox News technology ventures and social media platforms should “help police find predators that kill our children.”
“Snapchat is very clear that they do not support drug trafficking, and I’m sure when their algorithm finds a page that sells drug trafficking, they take it down,” but that does not stop the drug dealer. klap-a-mol. They appear just seconds later with a new account. ‘
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – MAY 24: Dr. Laura Berman arrives on May 24, 2011 at the 36th Annual Gracie Awards Gala in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon / Getty Images)
Berman said the family has not heard of Snapchat yet, but holds the company responsible for catching the one who did it and those who do it to other children and parents across the country.
SNAPCHAT responds to own host DR. LAURA BERMAN’S SON’S DEATH
“I do not hold them responsible for his death, but I hold them accountable for his justice,” she added.
A Snapchat spokesman on Tuesday did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment, but said in a statement Monday that the deepest sympathy is with the family and friends of Samuel Berman Chapman and we are saddened by his passing.
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“We are committed to cooperating with law enforcement in this matter and in all cases where Snapchat is used for illegal purposes,” the statement continued. “We have no tolerance for using Snapchat to buy or sell illegal drugs.”
Police in Santa Monica told Fox News on Tuesday that the agency’s criminal investigation department is conducting a “parallel investigation” with the Los Angeles coroner’s office and the investigation is continuing. The DEA spokesman also presented the Los Angeles office of the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Fox News’ Melissa Roberto and David Aaro contributed to this report.