Dr. Laura Berman's 16 Year Old Son Dies of Overdose, She Posts on Instagram

A 16 year old boy died of a drug overdose Sunday afternoon in the 1000 block of Yale Street, reports Lt. Rudy Flores of the Santa Monica Police Department.

The boy was Dr. Laura Berman's son, Samuel. Berman is a psychological therapist who has a syndicated national show. She stated in an Instagram post that her son had purchased prescription drugs via Snapchat and overdosed in his bedroom.

"My beautiful boy is gone. 16 years old. Sheltering at home. A drug dealer connected with him on Snapchat and gave him fentanyl-laced Xanax or Percocet (toxicology will tell) and he overdosed in his room. They do this because it hooks people even more and is good for business but It causes overdose and the kids don't know what they are taking. My heart is completely shattered and I am not sure how to keep breathing. I post this now only so that not one more kid dies. We watched him so closely. Straight A student. Getting ready for college. Experimentation gone bad. He got the drugs delivered to the house. Please watch your kids and WATCH SNAPCHAT especially. That's how they get them."

Laura Berman is married to Samuel Chapman. They have three sons. Sam died on February 7, 2021, aged 16, from what his parents believe to be fentanyl laced Xanax or Percocet which he bought from a drug dealer on Snapchat and were delivered to his house.

The teen was found unconscious at 4:24 p.m. Sunday in the 1000 block of Yale Street, near Washington Avenue, Lt. Rudy Flores of the Santa Monica Police Department said in a press release.

"On February 7, 2021 at about 4:24 p.m., Santa Monica Police Officers along with Fire Paramedics responded to a residence in the area of the 1000 block of Yale Street regarding a minor that was unconscious and not breathing. Despite paramedic's efforts, the minor was pronounced a short time after."

The press release continued that drug use was suspected. The SMPD press release follows:

On February 7, 2021 at about 4:24 p.m., Santa Monica Police Officers along with Fire Paramedics responded to a residence in the area of the 1000 block of Yale Street regarding a minor that was unconscious and not breathing. Despite paramedic's efforts, the minor was pronounced a short time after.

A preliminary investigation leads us to believe prescription drug use may have been involved. While the case is currently with the Los Angeles Coroner's Office, a parallel investigation is underway with the Santa Monica Police Department Criminal Investigations Division. As this remains an ongoing investigation, no additional information is available at this time.

We strongly encourage anyone with information related to this incident to contact Criminal Investigations Detective S. Pollnow at (310) 458-8455 or Police Dispatch at 310-458-8491.