National
Mother who lost two sons struggles to stay afloat


The latest article in The Missoulian's series on "Lost Boys of The Flathead" focuses on the mother who lost two young sons within three months.

Last summer, Norma Fox and her children were living in a dilapidated trailer without electricity or running water. They barely scraped by, she says.

"There were seven of us in that place," Norma told the paper. "It was hard to be a very good family. We didn't have hardly anything."

The winter rolled on so Norma sent sons Tyler, 14, and Justin, 11, to friends and family. The boys also spent time in a tribal group home as Norma stuck it out in the cold without heat.

Then one night in November, Tyler was found burned to death. He had been hanging out with friends and drinking. His blood-alcohol level was 0.23.

Just three months later, Justin was found dead in a field. He had been drinking too, a problem Norma struggles with. Earlier this year, she went on a drinking binge and, after taking some prescription pills, nearly killed herself.

Get the Story:
For the mother of Justin Benoist, his loss was only the latest blow (The Missoulian 7/22)

Relevant Links:
Lost Boys of The Flathead - http://www.missoulian.com/specials/lostboys

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Flathead parents still grieving for two lost boys (7/21)
Deaths of four boys forces tribe to look inward (7/19)
Police won't pursue charges for death of two boys (04/15)
Adult believed to have supplied boys with alcohol (03/08)
Flathead Reservation mourns loss of two boys (3/5)
Flathead Reservation boys had been reported missing (3/4)
Two boys at Flathead died of alcohol consumption (3/3)
Two boys found dead on Flathead Reservation (3/2)