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Daniel Owen

Documentary Photojournalist & Photo Editor

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The Black Tar Diaries

A picture story of the late Nathan Tilley and his battle with health and addiction.

Nathan mentally prepares for his upcoming surgery by watching the sun near his home in Jackson County, Ohio, where he has lived his whole life; May 14, 2012.

Nathan, 19, of Jackson, Ohio, injects heated black tar heroin into his vein while pulled over in a grocery store parking lot on November 13, 2013. A self-professing 'addict', Nathan uses heroin to help combat the pain of his severe Scoliosis and Ne

Fentanyl patches offer some relief from the constant pain caused by his severe Scoliosis, which has meant that Nathan has been heavily medicated for much of his life. May 17, 2012.

Richard, Nathan's father, collects some items from the family's home just outside of Jackson, Ohio on February 12, 2014, after a fire in Nathan's closet spread and caused smoke and water damage throughout most of the home. Nathan's family was force

Nathan recovers from a seventeen hour operation, which removed his ribs and corrected his severe scoliosis on May 19, 2012.

Nathan cuts and dries a fresh batch of crystal meth while his parents are away from the hotel for a few hours. February 13, 2014.

Nathan suffers from severe Scoliosis and prepares for his upcoming corrective surgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital on May 17, 2012. The operation will remove all of his ribs and reallign his spine in hopes of easing his ability to breathe and

Nathan's family used to be very close, but over the past several months Nathan's drug problem and constant arrests have placed a strain on their relationship. With bills piled high from Nathan's medical procedures, his parents, Lisa and Richard, st

Nathan looks out of his family's hotel room to make sure that no one was approaching while he finishes making crystal meth on February 13, 2014.

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