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Graham Carter had a chance. He graduated from Patrick Henry High School in 2004 and attended Reynolds Community College, Hampden-Sydney College and Randolph-Macon College. One professor told Graham’s parents that he was among the best students in class — when he decided to show up.

He had the support of his family and three stints of rehab under his belt. He was even mentoring others who wanted to stay clean.

The 28-year-old with a quick wit and bright grin that would tighten into a smirk when he had been using drugs died alone in a house full of his friends on Carter Street in Richmond. They found his body in the bathroom a year ago last week. He recently had completed a long-term recovery program at The Healing Place in South Richmond.

“I can’t help wondering whether they took time, you know, to clean up after they found him,” his mother said. “How long was he in there? Would it have made a difference? I guess it doesn’t matter now.”

Last April, he was one of nine people who had died in Richmond of a heroin overdose during the first few months of 2015. Thus far in 2016, there have been 18. The number of nonlethal overdoses year-over-year has risen 350 percent, from 22 to 99, according to Richmond police data.