THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE HEADLINES

Requiem for Heroin's Victims is a week-long series that profiles the lives
of six of the 13 people who dies of a heroin-related overdose since January
2003, as identified by the coroner's offices in La Salle and Bureau counties.

Throughout the series are recreations of events that may be sensitive to
readers. The NewsTribune asks parental guidance be observed, as some
re-created scenes portray graphic images, include offensive language, and
in one instance, describe a common way Illinois Valley residents procure
heroin.

The series describes the victims, how heroin was introduced to them and how
their deaths affected family and friends.

Families of six declined to be interviewed. Out of respect for privacy,
the NewsTribune will not pursue their stories unless given permission. A
coroner's jury just ruled on a 13th death last week. The NT withheld the
names of people who may have contributed to the death of a profiled person
only when the name doesn't appear in an official document or the person is
a juvenile.