For almost three years, D.D. Flynn of Woodstock has worked tirelessly to see those responsible for her daughter's fatal drug overdose brought to justice.

Now, Mrs. Flynn is receiving the help of the Woodstock Police Department.

The department is teaming up with Mrs. Flynn to offer a $10,000 reward to anyone who provides evidence that leads to the arrest and conviction of the people involved in Christi Michele Nowak's death.

Christi, 20, suffered a cardiac arrest on the bedroom floor in her Woodstock home on Oct. 1, 2005.

She was transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta and was pronounced brain dead on Oct. 5.

Mrs. Flynn said her daughter had a seizure because of a mixture of cocaine, GHB and chloroform in her system.

"When my daughter passed, she bequeathed me her fighting spirit," Mrs. Flynn said as to why she is seeking justice for her daughter.

The Woodstock Police Department initially ruled the death an accidental overdose, but with the persistence of Mrs. Flynn, the force decided to reopen the case.

"D.D. has been rather diligent and tenacious in pushing for someone to be held accountable," Police Chief Ric Moss said.

Moss said when he joined the force as chief in September of 2006, he decided there were "some things that needed to be looked at again."

Mrs. Flynn said recent cases of people being held accountable in drug overdose cases gave her the inspiration to hunt down potential suppliers of drugs to Christi.

She said she believes someone was in the house the night Christi suffered the cardiac arrest and had supplied her with the drugs.

A statute is in place that states if someone commits a felony resulting in the death of another, then that person is in violation of the law.

In Christi's case, the perpetrator would be charged with the violation of controlled substance act. Even if the person was not in possession of the drugs, he or she would be charged as an accomplice, Moss said.

However, there are potential hurdles in cases that involve drug overdoses.

The district attorney would have to prove that a person was responsible for the death, Moss said.

Also, people involved in cases such as these tend to be "transients," and are hard to track down, he added.

Moss said the information that they've received from Christi's friends so far has been via the Internet.

"With that, we are dealing with screen names," he said, adding that Christi's friends are more willing to talk to her mother than the police.

Mrs. Flynn said her main goal is to reach out to other families who have faced similar circumstances.

"I want the law known, and I want to know what happened to my daughter on that last night," she said.

Christi, Mrs. Flynn said, was beginning to get her life back on track. She had just enrolled in college and was involved at First Baptist Woodstock.

Most of all, Mrs. Flynn said Christi was a caring person who would do anything for her friends.

"She was extremely loving and she loved her brother [Brent]," she said.

Moss said the department would keep the case open as long as they receive viable information.

He added the department as a whole feels Mrs. Flynn's pain and wants to "make sure justice is done."

"As dedicated professionals, we want to make sure we do the job to the best of our ability," he said.

kdixon@cherokeetribune.com

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