DENHAM SPRINGS — Monique Massi lost her son, Jacob, to fentanyl poisoning. She’s now on a mission to help educate others about fentanyl and those who have been most affected by the dangerous narcotic by keeping her son’s name and face in the public.
She’s also not alone in that mission, and a new billboard in Denham Springs is hoping to spark conversations around fentanyl and illicit drugs.
Massi spoke at a DEA press conference in December 2025, where officials announced historic progress in the fight against fentanyl and lower overdose deaths. The DEA presented data that showed overdose deaths fell by 70% in Washington Parish, 58.5% in St. Tammany Parish, and 45.3% in Tangipahoa Parish, far exceeding the national decline of roughly 27%.
“Jacob was not a statistic. He was our son,” she said at the event. “He had a future, and it was stolen from him. We stand fully behind the DEA and the District Attorney’s Office in holding dealers accountable, because this work has to be done. We need you to save other families from this unending heartbreak.”
Since losing Jacob, Massi said she’s felt called to be a mouthpiece and share her son’s legacy with others.
On Aug. 8, Massi, along with other parents and family members of those lost to fentanyl, will gather to officially unveil a new billboard that they hope will raise awareness about fentanyl. The billboard features the faces of 18 young men and women gone too soon from fentanyl and illicit drugs. The sign can be seen on Hwy. 16 at Arnold Road.
“Look at those faces—that’s what our mission is; that’s our goal. If it saves one life, if it starts one conversation in a car between a parent or a grandparent and a child or two teenagers, then it’s doing its job,” Massi said.
The event begins at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8 at D-BAT Denham Springs. Families will blow bubbles, officials will be on site to offer more information, and Narcan is available. The main goal of the event, however, is to make sure people notice the faces of the people who have died but live on in their families’ hearts.
Massi said that one of the reasons she felt compelled to begin speaking out and raising awareness is because of the stigma around losing a loved one to overdose.
“I’m gonna be honest, at first when I lost him, I was like, oh my God, how am I gonna tell everybody this, right? Not, how are they gonna know what a wonderful, giving human being he was. He was donating computers to homeless shelters; he was working on them, so he could donate them to unwed mother’s homes. How can I let people know this about my kid when all they’re going to see is overdose from fentanyl, fentanyl overdose?”
This billboard is put on by Dan’s Legacy of Love, which is putting up billboards across the U.S. to share “No Shame. No Stigma. Just Love” and remember those who died from drugs. The organization honors the memory of Dan Byrd, who died in 2015.
“We recognize that every life is different whether it was one time, a long journey, or something in between because no life should ever be reduced to a label or a single moment. Through memorial billboards, advocacy, and community outreach, we make sure every person is remembered for who they were, not how they were lost,” the organization shares on its website.
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