Parents remember daughter after fentanyl poisoning death; Yankton man arrested in connection to death

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Kelcy Orr’s parents glowingly remember their daughter.

“Had that contagious laugh,” Jim Orr said on May 7. “Really outgoing, very smart, just an amazing person.”

They lost their 15-year-old to fentanyl poisoning.

“By taking a pill that was laced with fentanyl,” Kelcy’s mother Jenny Orr said on May 7.

Jenny Orr says they found Kelcy deceased in her bed two days before Christmas in 2023. 18-year-old Evan Nelson is charged in connection with Kelcy’s death; the Yankton teenager faces three charges, including distribution of a controlled substance to a minor which resulted in death.

Jenny and Jim Orr have turned to a support group with Emily’s Hope to help them cope with their loss; long-time KELOLAND News journalist Angela Kennecke started the organization following the loss of her own daughter .

“I know it’s going to be here forever, but just trying to get through day by day, and Emily’s Hope helps with that and with the awareness and spreading the word,” Jim Orr said on May 7.

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