MARION COUNTY, Fla. – Life hasn’t been the same for Amanda Yates since her son, Simon Dotson, was found dead in a Marion County residence due to a fentanyl overdose in April 2023.
“We were very close, probably the closest of my kids,” Yates shared. “I have five children—or I have four now—and it’s left a huge hole in our family. You know that it’s devastating.”
Last Friday, the man accused of selling her son the deadly drugs, Eligio Perez, was arrested after a judge signed a warrant for his arrest on a charge of death caused by the unlawful distribution of fentanyl.
“Relief, I’m very relieved,” Yates said. “I’m feeling lots of emotions. Can I say that I’m happy? Absolutely not.”
The investigation revealed that Perez’s phone number was found in Dotson’s phone. Marion County Sheriff officials also noted that Perez had been on probation since August for drug-related offenses.
While Yates is relieved Perez is in custody, she hopes this moment will lead him to turn his life around. “They were friends. I don’t believe that boy meant to kill him—absolutely did not. As a matter of fact, I believe they both took what it was, and it just so happened that Simon died and he lived.”
Perez is currently in the Marion County jail and is scheduled to appear in court in January.
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