Nathaniel Holmes had learned to play the bagpipes, and at the Colorado Renaissance Festival in 2017, he had the chance to perform alongside his father. His father, Ben Holmes, remembers that day fondly.
Nathaniel was a shy kid, and at 17 years old, he was struggling to figure out how to finish his schooling. Life at Arvada High School wasn’t working out, so in the fall of 2017 he decided to try homeschooling. But that wouldn’t work out either.
In November 2017 Nathaniel started at Hidden Lakes High School in Westminster, Colorado.
On Monday, December 18, he came home from school lethargic and not acting like himself. When his dad pressed him for what was wrong he admitted he took a Xanax from a friend.
They decided that he should go spend the night with his mom so she could keep an eye on him.
On the morning of December 19, Nathaniel’s mom dropped him off at school, late.
He walked into the school and was nervously trying to get his friend’s attention in another classroom. The principal walked up to him and told him to get back to class.