“How do you say goodbye? How do you face every day missing a part of you?
A sob heaved its way through Ms Penny Murphy’s body as she clutched one of her son Khyle’s last pictures he drew before he died.
It is believed that Khyle overdosed on heroine on March 24.
“Khyle stayed with us and cleaned up really well. He was clean for two months before he died,” Murphy said as she held out a drug test.
She said a normal Sunday with lunch planned with the family turned into a tragedy the family is struggling to come to terms with.
Murphy said Khyle (33) left with his girlfriend just before lunch, he apparently borrowed R70 from her and according to a friend was seen walking on the main road in Ga-Nala.
“I was feeling uneasy when Khyle did not return home. He was later found behind a local bottle store. My son was dying and I did not know it.”
The questions around Khyle’s death haunts Murphy and she only has one question, “What happened on that day?”
“I have lost track of how many people have said, ‘Khyle was my good friend. I can’t believe he is gone’.”
“At a glance all looks well, but I break every time someone says ‘I am sorry’. I see my son through their eyes. Khyle was genuine. His life was filled with art, music and moments of sheer happiness.”
Then the word ‘heroine’ pops up.
“No child wants to grow up to be an addict. Addicts know that they are an embarrassment to their families. They have their own guilt and shame; they struggle with their own demons. But often, they cannot win over the drugs. They hate themselves probably more than anyone else does.”
For the Murphy family losing Khyle is a life sentence.
“It is simply something no one ever gets over. We just continued to exist and function on some level. Maybe one day we will earn to our lives around the giant, empty void that was left.”
An inquest was opened at Kriel Police Station.
If you have any information that could assist the police in their investigation, contact Kriel SAPS Spokesperson Const Angel Makubu: 079 891 5030.
