‘It will hurt forever’: Mother awaits arrest of man accused of selling fentanyl that killed son

Linnie Supall
·2 min read
9

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A mother is looking for the man accused of killing her son, while also warning about the dangers of fentanyl.

It’s a problem that’s slowly getting better across the state of Florida, but still not where law enforcement wants it. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, from January to June 2022, more than 2,700 died from fentanyl. That’s down 9% from the same time a year prior.

However, two Tampa Bay-area cities were in the top four in the state for fentanyl deaths. St. Petersburg ranked second and Tampa ranked fourth.

It’s been nearly seven months since Dhane Hogan died in his Tampa home from fentanyl, but detectives said he didn’t know that’s what he was given.

“It was just a normal Tuesday morning and I got a call that said ‘your son is gone,'” said Tiffany Thompson, Hogan’s mother. “So it’s very raw. It will hurt forever.”

“We had never ordered fentanyl from this man,” said Tony Libby, Hogan’s fiancé. “We ordered small amounts of cocaine, maybe some marijuana and that was it, and to just, out of the blue, have something delivered like this that kills your family. It’s just unthinkable.”

Now the man accused of selling the drug is wanted for first-degree murder. This week, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office posted an alert, calling for the arrest of Altwain Carlisle.

“It weighs on my heart in a way you can’t even imagine, because this is a very dangerous criminal we’re talking about,” Thompson said.

Thompson is coping with pain and fury.

“If you sell fentanyl and it kills someone, the state of Florida will prosecute you for first-degree murder,” she said.

“You don’t know what you’re getting,” said Dan Zsido, a retired lieutenant with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Zsido served in the narcotics division for nearly 40 years.

“The days where drugs were singular by themselves — we’re talking about the illicit street drugs, cocaine, heroin — they were singular,” he said. “They may have had some cut to increase the volume for making money. Now it’s mixed with a multitude of different opioids.”

A silent killer, shattering more families each day.

“I want justice for my son,” Thompson said. “And I don’t want anyone else hurt.”

Those in Florida looking for opioid recovery resources can visit the CORE Network website.

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