Mom Investigating Son's GHB Death

Here's a sad story from the San Luis Obispo (CA) Tribune:

Reward offered in Poly death
Mother makes last-ditch effort to uncover new evidence
before statute of limitations expires

By David Sneed

The mother of a Cal Poly student who died nearly three years ago from a drug overdose is offering a $5,000 reward in a last-ditch effort to uncover evidence in the case before the statute of limitations expires.

Brian Gillis was found dead in his bed at Stenner Glen apartments April 4, 2002. A toxicology report showed the 19-year-old journalism student had a high level of the drug GHB in his system at the time of his death. GHB is known as liquid ecstasy because it produces euphoric and hallucinatory states.

Police and prosecutors investigating the case say Gillis' death was not a homicide, but there may be enough evidence for an involuntary manslaughter case, said Steven Brown, chief deputy district attorney. However, the statute of limitations for that crime will expire in April on the third anniversary of Gillis' death.

"This is just a step, one last time, to get people to come forward," Brown said.

No arrests have been made in the case. However, the Gillis family settled a civil lawsuit for $357,000 with various members of the fraternity Sigma Chi.

Gillis consumed the drug at a Sigma Chi party. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.