DENHAM SPRINGS — Families and friends of fentanyl victims gathered in Denham Springs to dedicate a billboard honoring those lost to the drug while raising awareness about its dangers.

WBRZ's Angelica Butine was there as people read off the names of their loved ones whose photos appear on the billboard.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,467 people in Louisiana died from a drug overdose in 2024.

Each face on the billboard represents a person remembered by those who loved them. Ashley Reeves was there to honor her brother Brandon, who died from a fentanyl overdose eight years ago.

"He had a huge heart," Reeves said. "He was literally my best friend. Me and him did everything together."

After losing her brother and her daughter, Reeves turned to drugs to cope with the grief. She persevered and survived and today she is two and a half years sober.

"Off of heroin and fentanyl, it took me going to jail, losing my daughter," Reeves said. "Just know that it is possible to get clean. I am 2 and a half years sober."

Others at the gathering shared their own memories. "My son was a talented artist. He played guitar," said Peggy Parsons. Monique Massi described her loved one as someone who "would do anything for anybody."

For the families present, the billboard is about making sure their loved ones are remembered for how they lived. "Their lives did not mean the way they passed away," said Beth White. "The way they died did not define them."

Federal health statistics show fentanyl deaths dropped by a third nationwide but remain above pre-COVID levels from 2019. The billboard will stay up until the end of the month.