Eli Rodriguez died after attending the Nocturnal Wonderland Festival in San Bernardino over the weekend.
Marcellina said her son, Eli, went with friends to the Nocturnal Wonderland festival, held at Glen Helen Regional Park. According to Marcellina, he either bought drugs or was given drugs at the event. The autopsy report is pending.
"From what I was told, he was saying that he wasn't feeling right, that it wasn't normal and he passed away within minutes after that. [The medics] gave him that shot. They did whatever they could beyond the shot. They gave him life support and nothing brought him back. He was pronounced dead at the property of the event."SUGGESTED:"He was a joy to be around. I'm not saying that because he was my son, but he was tender to me. He loved me," she said.
Marcellina said because the autopsy has not been completed, she hasn't been able to see her son, and that breaks her heart. "He's not coming home anymore so what do you do? As for me, I lean on God that I'll see him one day," she said. Marcellina believes the drugs were likely laced with fentanyl, a powerful opioid that is killing people at alarming rates. She wants parents to be aware."[I want parents to] open their eyes wide and listen to know that it's a drug war against your children too, not just the fallen ones. To the parents who have lost their adult children and children to this drug war, they're not alone, and they shouldn't be ashamed.