tonight, the "20/20" special. david muir reporting. "breaking point -- heroin in america," starts now. >> reporter: the calls coming in. heroin overdoses. all of them heroin overdoses. and in manchester, new hampshire, we're there when a panicked driver calls 911 with what he finds at a busy intersection. >> i got a white male, approximately 25 years old. he's blue in the face, so i need help now. >> reporter: you can hear him, trying to revive the young man. >> 1-2-3-4

veteran medic chris hickey gets the call. >> how quickly do you have to get there, if there's a chance of saving this person's life? >> within the first five minutes. >> i think we have an overdose, right in the middle of the road. >> reporter: we arrive. and there he is. the young man in the street. >> yeah, i just had a long day at work. >> reporter: they believe his heroin addiction, so strong he couldn't wait to get home from work before shooting up in his car. >> you sure you didn't take anything? >> yeah. >> we're not the police. you can tell us. >> no, i know. >> reporter: and we meet that panicked driver who made the call. >> i came around, saw him slouched over at the wheel. >> reporter: a father on his way home from work. he says he gave that young man mouth to mouth because he knew what he was witnessing. in new hampshire it's everywhere, even in his own home. >> you know something. i lost my son to a drug overdose. thank god i didn't have to do what i did for him. i miss him dearly. we need to do something. we have a problem in our country and we have do something about it, period. >> reporter: for more than a

year now, "20/20" tracking the explosion of heroin in america's suburbs. 129 people die every day from drugs. the vast majority, prescription pain pills and heroin. is this the neighborhood here where you'd find it? >> there isn't a single part of any community that's untouched. >> we're from a typical small town. very safe community. very trusted community. >> reporter: we've met so many parents, families -- blindsided. >> spencer's world was football. the boy loved to play. >> courtney was a lot of fun. she would bring a smile to everybody's face. >> richie was very excited to go off to the marines. >> reporter: they never thought heroin would take hold of their children. >> spencer got hurt in a game. >> he obviously was prescribed some painkillers. >> the oxycontin. >> reporter: over the course of a year, we see there are no boundaries. rich, poor, the middle class. the same story. prescription pills, then heroin. far easier and far cheaper to get. >> spencer switched over

>> heroin. >> heroin. >> the police came to my door at 1:00 in the morning and said my son was gone. >> reporter: drug overdoses are now more deadly than car accidents and guns in this country. and tonight, you're about to see the struggle in real time. >> i love you. >> reporter: we meet aaron smith, just 22. a young husband and father who loves his boy, camden. >> what? >> reporter: but aaron is at a breaking point. he knows his son's future, his own future, is on the line. >> everybody thinks their kid's the cutest in the world but i literally have the cutest son in the world. >> reporter: but aaron also carries with him something else. >> more or less this is all you need. literally, that's the tool of the trade. >> reporter: aaron is a heroin addict. it's only been a year. >> it snowballed really quickly, to the point where i'd get up every day and my number one task was heroin. >> reporter: like all of those families, he tells us prescription pain pills came first. >> i s

>> reporter: then, the heroin. four out of five new heroin users start off with prescription pills. the same opioid fix. his parents tell me they just want their boy back. >> before this heroin had taken over, aaron, was a, he was a wonderful kid. a great kid to be around. i miss that about him. >> put it in drive. >> reporter: aaron wants that back too. he wants for his son, the childhood he had. that's aaron right there. number 7 on the football team. the player who grew up being shuttled from game to game. in grade school, meeting the girl who is now his wife. kaitlin norton. >> we've known each other basically our whole lives. he's just a good person. like, genuinely, a good person. >> reporter: aaron knows, they all know, that this is a crucial moment. he will lose his family if he doesn't get better. calling for help for weeks now. >> consistently now it's been

about three weeks every day on the phone. literally any place you can think of within a 300, 400-mile radius. >> reporter: but aaron hears what so many hear. the waiting list, weeks, if not months. new hampshire ranks 49th in the nation for access to treatment. >> okay. >> reporter: but we're there when he finds a bed. >> i just got a call from phoenix house. they're going to accept me. i am so happy i am finally getting in a place. there is an end to this madness. this is unbelievable. >> reporter: but will aaron make it? 48 hours until he gets to that bed. and you're about to see what happens. >> if i don't get better now i'll be dead. that's it, period. >> reporter: so close to treatment, we witness the mind games. >> i'm planning on throwing these out tomorrow, so, before i go to treatment. it's unbelievable how tough it is just to get rid of these because i want to get better but then it's like, what if i relapse? it's scary. but you know what, i'm going to get rid of them right now.

actually i should probably wait because i don't want to throw them in my trash. >> reporter: aaron tells us he's now in withdrawal. the grip heroin has on the body is punishing. >> it just beats the hell out of you. it feels like i was beaten with a sledgehammer. >> reporter: and we're there when he begins to call around for heroin. >> i don't know, it might be a 20. i might need a 40. i'm going to have to see, okay? >> reporter: whatever he can find. >> hello? >> reporter: he works for his dad. >> hey dad, what's up? >> reporter: and he tells us he needs to get that paycheck. >> i was just seeing where you were at. all right. i love you. >> reporter: his dad has the money but his father also knows what he'll do with it. aaron tells us he's been stealing from his own family. >> family members that you once loved, all they are to you is a money sign. it brings you to something lower than a human being. >> reporter: even with no money, we watch as he heads d

listen to what he tells us when he comes back. >> he helped me out, he did. he gave me a little bit so i'm feeling much better now. it's literally instantaneous. it's messed up, like, it literally just gets you normal. it's really disgusting. like, i need it to function. you know what i mean? >> reporter: but just moments after shooting up, it hits him. he breaks down, knowing he's just two days from treatment and using again. and he starts telling us about his wife. >> she's everything to me. i just don't want to lose her. she's the mother of my son. i don't think i'd want to be alive if i don't have them. >> reporter: kaitlin, the mother of his young boy, has already left for treatment herself. she too began with prescription pills and then the heroin.

so close to getting help too, aaron knows these final hours before treatment are critical. he has overdosed twice before. and his father told me what it was like to find him. >> he was gray. i yelled for the phone, to call 911, and i proceeded to give him mouth-to-mouth. he was not breathing, and i couldn't feel the heartbeat. >> reporter: can you tell me what that's like? >> it's probably the worst thing i've ever had to do in my life, was giving him mouth-to-mouth. i, just -- i said, is this how it's all going to end? right here, in my basement? >> reporter: the paramedics arrived with the drug narcan. it reverses the effects of a heroin overdose. >> and he came right through, and he went from being flatline dead to standing up, walking and looking at me and talking and i was obviously elated he was alive, but heartbrok

>> reporter: did he say he was sorry? >> yeah. he did. >> reporter: now months later and just hours from treatment, desperate to talk to his wife kaitlin, who is still in rehab. >> could you ask her if she's just taking time to herself or something if she could just call me and let me know that. >> reporter: she is now refusing to take his calls, knowing her own recovery depends on it. and we witness his evening ritual. looking at the photos of his boy, who is now living with kaitlin's family. >> this is last fourth of july before he got his haircut. see, he's always got a smile. see, he's a big boy. literally the best day of my life. i actually sit here, all night, every night, i go on this, and just go through the pict

because it's the closest thing i have to them right now. it's okay if i just, i'm going to close this right now, i don't want to look at it anymore. feeling like this now makes me want to get high even more. i know it's destroyed my life, but right now i just want to get high so i don't feel like this. >> reporter: when we come back, just 24 hours before rehab. >> perfect. >> reporter: and his trip to find his boy camden. what his family tells him when he comes for his boy. >> why do you do this to me? [ crying ] >> reporter: and later tonight, the youngest victims. as we look for solutions to the heroin emergency here in america. following so many families at a breaking point. with no artificial flavors, preservatives or dyes.

moms didn't notice. kids didn't notice. dogs didn't notice. this person named "bill" didn't notice. spring breakers, coffee makers, movers and shakers, working from home fakers... none of them noticed a thing. because this kraft mac & cheese... still tastes like... kraft mac & cheese. it's changed. but it hasn't. 3d so you can do a ton ofponds tstuff in a lot less time.nger. like look at a site without going to it. or watch a video without opening it. you can do pretty much everything faster. shooting stuff. music stuff. couch shopping. shoe shopping. running. kind of. checking a flight from an email. i'm peeking my flight. i'm not peeking my flight. i'm peeking my...wait, i missed my flight. owl photos. desert photos. photos of... dolphins! a high-stepping man. zza gifs. 's all faster with 3d touch iphone 6s. zza gifs. at baas hard as the family everthat earned it. work that's why we're putting more food in our salisbury steak dinners

so now... there's more to love with banquet. now serving... a better banquet. introducing the fusion of exceptional taste with the benefits of our probiotic yogurt. new activia fruit fusion, with the exclusive probiotic bifidus regularis. delicious and good for you. new activia fruit fusion. friday night owls and saturday early birds... for the new sonoma goods for life collection... save 50 to 60% on everyday apparel for him and for her... and for your home. plus take an extra $10 off your purchase of $30 or more! kohl's. and all eyes are on our softest wertwerther's caramel ever.

you'll find your soft spot, too. werther's original soft caramels. but this year, i can go to block and pay half, what i paid my other guy. you can switch to block and pay half too. half price is a better price, when you think about it. so follow us, we're going to h&r block. [richard] switch to block and pay half.

>> reporter: we're back at aaron's father's house in seabrook, new hampshire. and remember, he has 24 hours to go before rehab. >> see, he's a big boy. >> reporter: he has shown us the pictures of his son. >> i can't look at it anymore. [ phone ringing ] >> reporter: h

phone. >> i was going to come see if i could meet up with you for a 40. bye. >> reporter: he believes this is it. the last of the heroin before he gets help. >> this is what runs my life, that's what they call china white. >> reporter: china white, he tells us. authorities know what he's talking about. heroin that is now often laced with something even more dangerous, fentanyl. >> it breaks up very easy. >> reporter: fentanyl is used by hospitals for pain, 50 times more powerful than heroin. but the fentanyl now found mixed in with heroin on the streets is cooked in makeshift labs. >> it's crazy how, like, you get excited doing this. it's embarrassing saying that but it's a fact. dirty old cotton. it's a small one but it'll have to do. might help the sweats already. >> reporter: he walks into the bathroom, where he shoots up.

>> it wasn't much but it gave me a little rush. i'll get better, i know i will. i need my son in my life. >> reporter: the next day, he goes to kaitlin's family -- his in-laws -- to visit his son. one day before rehab. >> what? why you upset? i will. >> reporter: they have told aaron they will allow him to see his son one more time before he goes away. >> did you miss me? go get your car, go get it. get in, put it in reverse. i'm going to rehab for a month. it's a good surprise i get so see him before i leave. i'm not going to be able to talk to him so this is great. >> hey cam, how are you doing, buddy? >> reporter: and with kaitlin away at rehab, her father tells aaron he will not get his son

>> my daughter ain't going to put up with it, his wife. he's got to be clean, 'cause she's got to be clean. >> reporter: for so many families dealing with heroin, it is a vicious cycle. >> let's go. we're going to go inside for a minute. >> reporter: and here, it is about to erupt. >> is there any alka seltzer here, roxanne? >> reporter: inside the house, with his son not far away, he closes the bathroom door. and his mother-in-law knows what's happening. >> can you please stop opening the door? it's the last of that i have to get rid of before i to go to treatment! why do you do this to me? step out and i'll talk to you in a minute. thank you! [ baby crying ] i have to find out if they're staying up here tonight. >> reporter: outside, his father-in-law tells him he's not welcome here tonight. >> well, you ain't staying here. >> all right. >> reporter: the struggle faced by so many american families. >> let's go.

>> reporter: when tough love is all you have left. >> i'm kind of screwed. i don't have a place to sleep tonight, so i got to go find a place. >> don't let this make you go off and -- >> oh, it's not going to -- it ain't going to change. i am still going to rehab, this is just an obstacle. >> reporter: with his son at the door, his mother-in-law asks how many more times will you put the family through this. >> we've been dealing with this for what? over a year now? you think we don't get stressed out either? we don't handle it well sometimes, but this is all kind of new to us. >> trust me, i don't want it to be like this anymore. every time something comes up that is stressful and everything i have to go stick a needle in my arm. >> i told you, you got to make sure you get there tomorrow. >> i know, i know. >> well, i leave at 5:00. >> reporter: and then his father-in-law suddenly gives in, telling him he can stay -- only if he's on his way to rehab first thing in the morning. the next day, his brother waiting to drive him.

aaron shows us what he's bringing. >> i'm not bringing much. i got my aa book. packed some envelopes so i can send my wife some letters. >> reporter: but we would learn this isn't all he has. aaron has quietly found help on facebook from a stranger, a mother turned advocate. we went to find her. kerry norton. >> i definitely knew that he was wanting help. >> reporter: she helps young people find treatment. >> he's making all these calls and trying to get into places. >> reporter: she knows this is the moment when they break through or they unravel. and aaron leaves for rehab. >> worried how i'm going to handle it. this drug has taken a year from my life. but that's all it's going to take. all right. i'll see you guys later. >> reporter: we watch as they leave. but what would happen after that jeep drives away, it would change a family forever.

i say we own it.xperience become something to hide? lose all that negativity. just let it go. it's just bad energy. oh, and lose those terrible black balloons they give you on your 50th. what's up with that? hey we hear you. that's why our members love aarp the magazine. it celebrates you. with fun and provocative content, from lifestyle and entertainment to in-depth reporting. and it's just one of the great benefits of membership. if you don't think "this is right for me" when you think aarp, then you don't know "aarp". get to know us at aarp.org/possibilities hey there, can i help you with anything?

that siri can... right now, switch to at&t for an iphone and get one free. wow, is that right? yeah, it's basically... yes. that is the current offer from at&t. okay siri, you don't know everything. well, i know you asked me to call you the at&t hostess with the mostest. okay, shut her down. turn it off. right now, buy an iphone and get another one free when you add a second line. not yet. not yet! pull the peach! mmmm, yoplait. ♪ the exact moment you know you love a home, you should be able to get approved to buy it. ♪

and your ford dealer is the place, is the time. to get 0% financing for 60 months on a ford suv. that's right. just announced. ford explorer...edge...escape... and expedition... are available with 0% financing for 60 months. ford suvs. designed to help you be unstoppable. no wonder ford is america's best selling brand. but hurry, 0% financing for 60 months on ford suvs is a limited time offer. see your ford dealer today. make sure the second hug the fifeels just as good.. new huggies little snugglers diapers provide our best care for clean and healthy skin. i'll take care of you. i promise. ♪

stretch into muumuus. and pilled cardigans become pets. but it's not you, it's the laundry. protect your clothes from stretching, fading, and fuzz. ...with downy fabric conditioner... it not only softens and freshens, it helps protect clothes from the damage of the wash. so your favorite clothes stay your favorite clothes. downy fabric conditioner. wash in the wow.

>> reporter: back in seabrook, new hampshire, that moment, 22-year-old aaron smith in that car. his brother, driving him off to rehab. >> see you guys later. >> reporter: aaron and that wave, it was the last time we ever saw him alive. he went to that rehab facility. a 28-day program, but he only lasted three days. like so many residential facilities across this state, they couldn't provide medication to manage his withdrawal, to specifically help wean him off the heroin. and advocates say that medication is critical. aaron died of a heroin overdose eight days later. his father, out of town, gets the call.

boarding a plane in dallas airport, and my son ben calls me, and he says, "dad, aaron overdosed again." and i says, "whoa, whoa, what do you mean?" he says, "aaron overdosed again." and i automatically was thinking, "okay, what hospital is he at? what, what, where, where did they take him?" and he says, "he didn't make it." i had to keep going through it again on this plane to get home. i -- there was nothing i could do at that point. it was the longest six hours of my life, that flight. >> you never think it's going to happen to you. >> reporter: their son ben, an army medic who served in iraq, found aaron. are you convinced that given the system the way it's set up now, that there will be other families just like yours? >> i am thoroughly convinced that therere

that have lost a loved one today in the state of new hampshire. that's been the average of, of one death a day. >> reporter: and on this day, it's their son. they gather at the funeral home. including the woman aaron found online, a perfect stranger, a mother, a nurse who helped aaron through facebook find that bed. >> i don't want it to feel normal that people are dying. >> reporter: she had met aaron and kaitlin, but she never met aaron's family. she and her husband walk into that funeral home. and we see aaron's wife, kaitlin, after her rehab, for the first time. >> thanks for everything you did for him, or tried to. >> we have to do better. he wanted to get better.

new hampshire has not provided the access for his treatment that he deserved. hi, i'm kerry. i am so sorry. i will fight for him. i promise you. >> reporter: she writes, "i will never forget you." and for kerry, this is personal. just months earlier, her own son overdosed on heroin. spencer survived. he's now in recovery. >> i'm sitting here in profound sadness while everyone has just lost an amazing person and i feel guilty because i'm just like, "thank god it wasn't my kid." >> reporter: kaitlin allows her son camden to say a final good-bye to his father. he draws a heart for him. "i love you, daddy." we talk to kaitlin, who tells us she got the call that her young

had died with a day left at rehab herself. >> you don't ever think that it's going to be you or somebody that you love, somebody close to you. and it's real. i mean, here we are. >> reporter: she tells us she could not take those calls from aaron for her own health. >> i had to make, to set those boundaries with him because i just, i mean -- [ baby cries ] >> reporter: she wishes he'd been able to hold on during treatment like she did. >> you see things so much clearer. like, you can't, i can't put that on the line and go back to everything just because of love, really. i mean, i hope he knows how much i loved him and cared about him and wanted him to get better. that's just what i wanted, you know. >> reporter: and weeks later, we

find kaitlin again. more determined than ever to break free from heroin for good. >> here we are! >> reporter: this is the home where she's now living, with other recovering addicts, who help push her. >> and this is my bedroom that i share with a roommate. this is my clean-time app. i have been clean one month, 13 days, 17 hours, 41 minutes and 25 seconds. boom. >> reporter: we stay with kaitlin on her journey. can she hold on? >> hi, mary, my name's kaitlin norton. >> reporter: and when we come back, this young couple and a decision they're about to make this moment. it will change the course of their lives. and later, something we had never seen before. the moment an alleged heroin dealer walks right up to our camera, and what he's about to tell us. >> i like her, but i love heroin. it has a virtually borderless display

and a 6th gen intel® core™ processor for streaming all things likeable all flight long inspired by you inflight entertainment expert we love your work ♪ jane likes to mix things up. that's why she loves new light & fit greek non-fat yogurt mousse. so fluffy and airy it's her new 80 calorie obsession. light & fit feel free to enjoy. (bear growls) (burke) smash and grub. new 80 calorie obsession. seen it. covered it. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ friday night owls and saturday early birds... for the new sonoma goods for life collection... save 50 to 60% on everyday apparel for him and

and for your home. plus take an extra $10 off your purchase of $30 or more! kohl's. marie callender starts her a crust made from scratch, and fills it with all white meat chicken and a rich, delicious gravy. because making the perfect dinner isn't easy as pie... but finding someone to enjoy it with, sure is. marie callender's. it's time to savor.

>> reporter: you are looking at one of the youngest victims. three days old. just four pods

he doesn't even have a name yet. he's already facing a battle. shaking. crying. a rapid heart rate. his little body in withdrawal. and kerry, that nurse, that mom turned advocate, is right there in the room. >> is this grayson? he looks like a grayson. >> reporter: here in america, every 25 minutes a baby is born dependent on opiates. at dartmouth hitchcock medical center, they show us how careful they are with the morphine that helps wean newborns from heroin. >> so this is morphine. it's got .5 mls. >> reporter: and how old is the newborn? >> 6 days old. >> reporter: 6 days. and tonight, the story of this baby girl, who we have agreed to call chloe, she was one of those babies. and look at her now. >> boo! >> reporter: two months old. those beautiful blue eyes. and that smile. and you're about to witness her young parents in the fight of their lives. both recovering heroin addicts in new hampshire, and both are determined to stay clean for

but as we would see over the course of months, both are about to be tested in ways they could not predict. will their heroin come back to haunt them? >> three, two. >> reporter: 21-year-old savannah is in treatment. she quit heroin during her pregnancy. she wants for her baby girl, some of what she had growing up. >> i was a good kid. i didn't stop playing with dolls until i was like 14. i was pretty sheltered. >> reporter: she was 18 when she met matt. he was using and selling. and soon she was using, too. >> i don't remember that. but -- >> you can't tell that we're high? i mean, i look back and laugh at the dumb [ bleep ] i did now. one time was all it took and within a month, i was shooting up. i was so oblivious and high all the time that i didn't even realize that i was five months pregnant. >> reporter: she had no idea. but once she learned she was carrying a baby girl, she stopped the heroin. >> this is my peanut's bedroom.

matt did the border. >> reporter: the wall reads sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart. >> look at the big smile for dad. >> reporter: matt now earns $10 an hour fixing tractors, loading hay. >> hi, princess, i'm heading off to work. love you. >> reporter: a stop home, for lunch. >> just have to get something in me. i lift hay bales that are anywhere between 40 and 65 pounds. i feel good about it every day because, you know, i earned everything i have, everything that's here, you know, we've earned. >> reporter: he makes just enough for the rent, the food, and perhaps, most importantly, for that prescription savannah needs to stay clean. >> this is subutex. >> reporter: subutex is a medication commonly prescribed to recovering addicts to curb withdrawal. studies show that pills like these can double or triple the chances of staying clean. >> thank you for calling cvs pharmacy. >> i have a prescription. >> i only have enough money to pay for her daily dose.

her daily cost is $17 a day. >> i don't want to go to cvs right now anyways. so it works better for tomorrow night anyways. >> here. >> thank you. >> reporter: every day savannah counts the money. >> four, five, six, 16 -- >> reporter: we watch as she scrounges to find $17. she can only afford to buy one dose a day. >> there's a quarter. i'm like 50 cents short. i'm literally going to give them pennies and they can get over it. i'm just going to dump these all in my change pouch. i'm going to have to give them pennies. it's expensive these days. >> reporter: we're with savannah as she takes the daily trip, the half-mile walk to the pharmacy. >> this is my lifeline. my subutex. >> reporter: she takes the pill under her tongue. >> how many are you going to take? >> just one.

it takes like 30 minutes to completely dissolve, so. it makes me feel like, it's like what am i, i'm still having to use something every day. you know. yeah, it's legal and it's not heroin, but i still have to take it every day or i'm sick and i need it. what's the difference, really, right? >> reporter: when there are no more pills, she immediately starts going into withdrawal. this is just 12 hours after her prescription runs out. >> welcome to dopesick! my pills ran out tuesday evening and i don't get any more until my appointment today, so i feel like a hot sack of [ bleep ] right now. restless, it's like nauseous, it's your stomach, it's your head, it's your body. >> got to go, savannah. >> you're a piece of crap, dude. >> what? >> you're a piece of crap. would have been nice to have had some help from mama, but that's obviously not happening today, 'cause you really think it's my

>> wednesdays are sometimes a rough day for savannah. she can get pretty cranky because her medication, she gets prescribed it on wednesday and it goes from wednesday to tuesday night. >> reporter: we watch, as they run late. >> got everything, got everything. >> reporter: about to drive nearly an hour to the only treatment program they could get savannah into. this is where savannah gets counseling, medical check-ups, and that prescription she sorely needs. when she walks in, this week's session has already started. >> how are you feeling today? and any abuse of substances? >> well, i've been pissed all day. i've had a hair across my ass since i woke up. and so has she, clearly. >> reporter: cathy milliken runs the group at dartmouth hitchcock medical center. and she tells us she's witnessing an emergency. you started to see this wave of mothers coming in, young moms. >> absolutely, young moms struggling with opioid addiction. >> reporter: listen to their honesty. this is stephanie. >> i'm addicted to pain pills,

opiates, pretty much whatever i can get my hands on. >> reporter: savannah tells the room she knows they are selling heroin right on her street. her neighbors, school teachers, retirees, a nurse. and the heroin dealer is literally next door. >> very eager. just, here, you can have some. >> reporter: this is everywhere. it's hiding in plain sight. >> this does not discriminate against anybody. >> reporter: back home, savannah is left to do the work from that therapy room on her own. and we watch, as she tells matt, she needs a break from the baby. >> no. i'm going outside. >> i don't want to leave the baby up here. >> she is fine. i fixed her all up, so she is fine. i'm not coming up. >> reporter: matt tells us he knows the cycle. and he's simply waiting for the medication, the subutex, to kick in. >> it's not going to hit her for like 20 minutes or so at least. >> reporter: and outside, remember she told that room, she knows how close the heroin is.

that is the cap to an insulin syringe. i mean, a needle. and we see it ourselves. paramedic chris hickey shows us the needles, the tool kits. children and their parents often finding them. you've got families calling you saying there are needles in the park, needles on the little league field. and he tells us that if the needles are everywhere, so are the dealers. and those dealers can pinpoint who's most vulnerable. we watch as this man walks right up to savannah, despite the camera. listen to what he tells us. how easy it would be to give savannah heroin. and once she's hooked again, more business for him. >> it's like a pyramid scheme. okay, like, i'm at the top, i get it from wherever i get it from. the more people i can get to sell and buy off of me. >> and to do it. >> the more money i make. which i don't sell anyways, anymore now. i got a job now, but -- >> so even though there's like this wonderful, new young

pull her back down? >> it's not about who i am or being a mother. >> i like her, but i love heroin. >> they're dirtbags. i don't associate with those people. >> reporter: when we come back, we witness the biggest test yet for this young couple, and their baby. will their past, will the heroin, come back to haunt them? carry the centimeter, divide by 3.14 something something something... [ beeping, whirring ] great caesar salad! ♪ and now the name your price tool shows people policy options to help fit their budget. is that a true story? yeah! people really do save an average of over $500 when they switch. i mean about you inventing it. i invented the story, and isn't that what really matters? so... what else about me?

>> reporter: now living heroin free and raising their baby, savannah and matt have turned a corner. >> those two are my favorite. none of this would be possible if we were still using. >> reporter: but matt knows he still has a major hurdle. criminal charges back in vermont related to the drugs. >> going to work, you know, and

healthy life is the right thing to do and it's the hard thing to do. >> reporter: it is also hard to face your past. but he's about to. he hears of a new law back in vermont that gives some addicts the chance at treatment instead of a cell. >> they're trying to get addicts help instead of -- >> criminalizing them. >> instead of putting them in jail and then just you know keep repeating the cycle. >> reporter: but he knows there is a good chance he'll be separated for a time from savannah and the baby. >> hi, mom! >> reporter: they will live with his mother in nevada if it comes to that. >> what date will you get here? >> 10:30 at night on the 22nd. >> all right. well, i'll talk to you later mom. love you. i was able to see my daughter born. i was around long enough to where she won't forget who i am. i got to see a lot of good milestones. her first teeth come in, you know, her sit up for the first time. >> her first word. she said mama. >> reporter: just days now before matt turns himself in. his mother, pam bowman, arrives to help.

throw it in there. >> reporter: pam is a licensed nurse who works with babies born addicted. we can see that matt is anxious. carefully picking out his tie for the judge. >> probably going to wear this blue tie, babe. there's two here. what do you think, savannah? >> yeah. i am losing my mind about being separated from matt because i've got no idea how long or how short it's going to be. love you. >> love you, too. >> reporter: three days later, we're with them, as they arrive at the courthouse unsure of matt's fate, or the fate of this young family. >> when we made the decision to get clean and go to rehab and try to change our life for our daughter, you know, we've worked nonstop since then to become better people and you know she's the love of my life. so i'm taking care of what i have to right now.

she's the reason for this whole thing. i'm not sure what's going to happen. maybe send me back to rehab, maybe make me do some program which you know, i've been in this far anyways. the worst that's going to happen is they're going to put me in jail and i'm going to do some time. be strong for her. >> reporter: the thought of matt being sent away is terrifying for savannah. >> it's the best decision for our family. remember that, okay. i'm doing this for us. i don't want this to ever be a part of her life. >> reporter: a kiss. and it seems the baby reaches out, too. >> it's okay, savannah. it's okay, it'll be okay. you've got my mom and you've got my sister. you got her. it won't be that long, okay.

>> love you, too. >> please be seated. >> reporter: matt with his court appointed attorney. >> he came back to vermont at this point because he believed that he was stable enough to be in this environment and not relapse and he wants to get this these original charges resolved. >> reporter: the hearing takes a punishing turn. >> i don't think he has the option of just simply walking out and walking into court when he so chooses. you just cut off all communications with your probation officer, who arguably could've been of some help to you. as to your drug issues, i'm going to set bail at $5,000. >> i love you. >> reporter: it is money they don't have. and matt is taken away. >> come on, let's get her out of here. we don't need to be sitting he

it's only going to make it worse. >> reporter: we walk out with savannah and the baby, now both with matt's mother leaving the courthouse. unsure when they'll see him again. >> this moment is the hardest moment of my life. my heart breaks for how he's going to feel without his daughter or how his daughter is going to feel without him. it was the right decision for our family, but it's a lot easier said than done. we've tried so hard and we're such different people. i feel alone. >> reporter: they leave in the pouring rain. and they have no idea what awaits them in nevada. weeks now and she's left the baby with pam. the only clue she's ay

this image that just appeared on facebook. her baby, now without her. >> mom! >> i think about savannah every single night. she's 21. it bothers me. but i also have to have that fine line. >> reporter: pam files for temporary custody of the baby. she now needs to find savannah, to get the baby's birth certificate for custody. >> a 9-month-old baby that can't make choices for herself. so if i have to step in to make those choices for her, i'm going to. so that's where we're at, at this point. >> reporter: pam finds her at dusk in a pharmacy parking lot. >> what is a good number to contact you on? >> this is my number. >> we're going to set something up with you with the judge, too, for you to have visitations. >> oh. >> okay, it'll be supervised visitations. most likely, you can come over to the house. by yourself. >> that's not how it's going to go. i spoke with my lawyer. >> yeah, it's going to go like that. >> and he says that i have f

custody and actually, i filed -- i filed on monday. >> no, you didn't file. >> oh, i really did file. look, i have a copy of my paperwork. >> reporter: but savannah is unable to produce that paperwork. >> i spent $250 so i could get custody of my daughter. >> okay, we'll see you in court. >> reporter: when we come back, where we find savannah months later after walking off into the night. and what would become of that beautiful baby girl. the kitchen...that's home. i know that's like my grandma cooked, my mom cooked... ...i cook. chocolate bread pudding, and soufflés, and...

i make a lot of banana bread because the baby likes bananas. so, we always have bananas in the house. (laughs) whatever home means to you, we'll help you find it. zillow. so come try the largest variety of lobster dishes of the year, like lobster lover's dream or new dueling lobster tails. it's a party on every plate, and you're invited. so come in while it lasts.

their laundry smells more amazing than ever. (sniff) honey, isn't that the dog's towel? (dog noise) hey, mi towel, su towel. more scent plus oxi boost and febreze. it's our best gain ever! someone's hacked all our technology... say, have you seen all the amazing technology in geico's mobile app? mobile app? look. electronic id cards, emergency roadside service, i can even submit a claim. wow... yep, geico's mobile app works like a charm. geico. expect great savings and a whole lot more. >> reporter: here in manchester, new hampshire, they're now on track to have their deadliest year yet from heroin and they are tryi

new hampshire spends 20 times more on law enforcement than on drug treatment. you'll remember matt and savannah. tonight, matt is still behind bars, and savannah is, too. the baby marking a birthday with her grandmother. and we go to the dea, the drug enforcement agency, to ask, what many are now asking. a lot of people are going to say, "can we arrest our way out of this?" >> we cannot. this is medical issue. this is a public health issue. and it's a law enforcement issue. everybody has to come together on this. it's in their town now. >> reporter: and the cartels are targeting families at home. now, teaching 11 and

12-year-olds how to bring someone back after a heroin overdose. >> put it right in. the students have seen it everywhere. >> i was like, what is that for? and my mom told me. i was like, whoa. >> reporter: and kerry, making her pitch for recovering moms and their babies. >> we need to roll up our sleeves. >> reporter: the home goes up for a vote. >> 3-2, you win. >> reporter: by one vote, they get approval to open up hope on haven hill. and on the right, kaitlin, smiling, too. the young mom, still heroin free. tonight, she has a full-time job, and her boy back with

we check back in on her app. >> four months. >> reporter: her little boy, often asking her, how do i talk to my daddy? >> remember how i showed you? put your hands together. and talk to him. >> hi, daddy. >> reporter: a little boy, a mother, and the community behind them. >> what an adorable boy. and help still overdue. and people still need help. >> we put together a team of experts, the conversation continues live on facebook. i'm david muir. >> and i'm elizabeth vargas. from all of us at abc news, have a great night. leon: breaking news, a trump rall

your daughter wants to stay organic. your husband wants to stay free from artificial ingredients. you want to stay free from artificial preservatives. and your debit card wants to stay on a diet. fill your cart with small victories like giant's nature's promise brand. great prices on over 800 items. eat well for less. only at my giant. leon: breaking news, a chaotic scene in chicago that was set to a donald trump rally, called off because protesters clashed. bedlam,escribed as pure people scuffling inside and out. tension boiled over after weeks of