LORAIN, Ohio — A $50,000 cash reward is being offered to anyone with information regarding the death of Marcellino Flores, who died from a fentanyl overdose at just two years old.
“This is why I'm here today. I'm doing a cash reward for $50,000,” said Vanessa Flores, mother of Marcellino.
Long shadows extended from headstones at Calvary Cemetery in Lorain as the drifting summer sun began to set Wednesday evening.
While there was a somber stillness in this quiet space, Vanessa Flores and her family uplifted each other in spirit as they continued to mourn the loss of Marcellino.
“I’m towards accepting it now. It’s been very hard for me to do that this past year but I’m here,” said Flores.
Flores told News 5 she still has more questions than answers as the anniversary date approaches for her son's death, who she called Nino.
“I guess there’s no one to point to. No one is going to speak up,” said Flores.
Now, Flores said she’s offering a $50,000 cash reward as she and her family surrounded a decorated blue tree with some of Nino’s cherished toys, shoes and this poster filled with touching pictures and messages.
“I just want justice. That’s all I want,” said Flores.
When News 5 first reported on this story back in September 2023, Flores told us she last saw her son two days before his death when she left him with his father.
READ MORE: 2-year-old boy dies of fentanyl overdose in Lorain; mother not hopeful about getting answers
Lorain Police records show officers went to a home on W. 20th Street for a child not breathing. The report doesn’t say who was caring for the child at the time.
But the boy was unresponsive, and an officer scooped him up and ran him outside to an ambulance.
The Lorain County Coroner’s Office later ruled Nino’s death as an overdose, making it the first-ever child fentanyl overdose death in Lorain.
“I just got a call in the morning, and he was gone,” said Flores.
While the coroner said it’s unclear how the boy got it or if someone gave it to him, Flores said she’s determined to make sure her son’s name is not forgotten.
“Every day’s hard, but I’m still here and as long as I’m here, I’m going to keep trying to fight for justice,” said Flores.
We reached out to the Lorain Police Department for any updates, but they did not get back to our request in time for this story.
