San Rafael police are investigating the death of a mother of two who suffered an accidental overdose after mistakenly ingesting a powerful synthetic opioid.

Last weekend, 42-year-old Carrie Cartier was having a good time celebrating her friend’s birthday. 

Then around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday officers responded to a home and found Cartier collapsed on the kitchen floor.

They tried CPR and administered Narcan but they were too late to save her. 

Sergeant Alex Holm said, “One of them got it from a friend of a friend.”

But Holm says the three women partying that night consumed what they thought was cocaine and then passed out, only Cartier never woke up. 

It is believed they accidentally consumed a synthetic opioid not yet seen before in their jurisdiction called U-47700, known on the street as U-4, Euphoria, or Pinky since it can sometimes have a pinkish hue. 

Holm said, “It’s similar to fentanyl so it’s extremely strong it can be anywhere from 7 to 8 times more potent than morphine.”

KRON4’s Maureen Kelly spoke with Cartier’s friend Kate Barkohiapa who said she wants to prevent others from meeting the same tragic fate. 

Barkohiapa said her friend was a devoted mother to her 3-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter. 

She stressed that her friend was in no way a drug addict or on a path to destruction. 

“If Carrie had a second glass of rose that was a big night,” she said. 

No charges have been filed in connection with Cartier’s death and police are still investigating how the drug was obtained. 

They say it is possible the dealer who originally sold it, did not realize the danger. 

Cartier’s friends are raising money to fund the education of the two children she left behind.

To donate click here. 

For live, local news, download the KRONon app. It lets you watch commercial-free the Bay Area’s Local News Station on multiple streaming devices.

Click here to subscribe for a free 7-day trial

WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:

>>MORE STORIES