WENTZVILLE, Missouri — Gage Thomas Huesgen, a 16 year old Saint Louis Priory School student remembered for his kindness, academics and love of sports, died on November 21, 2022 after taking a pill that was sold as Xanax but was laced with fentanyl.
Years later, the man who sold the pill was sentenced to prison, bringing a new wave of grief and reflection for the Huesgen family.
The case has followed two painful paths at once. One is the death of a bright student athlete whose life ended far too soon.
The other is the courtroom reckoning that ended with 23 year old Zaki Salman receiving a 20 year prison sentence, longer than prosecutors had asked for.
The Huesgen family was in court when the sentence was handed down, and Gage’s father, Greg Huesgen, said he held up a photo of his son so the defendant could see the person behind the case.
“We can talk about how wonderful he is,” Greg Huesgen said of his son, “but you need to see the face that goes with the heart that’s behind him. And I wanted the defendant to see what he did and who he affected.”
That line captures what the family has been saying all along. Gage was not just a name in a case file. He was a son, a brother, a grandson, a teammate and a friend to many.
He was the kind of student who worked hard, stayed humble and pushed himself in the classroom and beyond it.
A student athlete with a big heart
Gage grew up in Wentzville and attended Emge Elementary and Fort Zumwalt West Middle School before becoming a student at Saint Louis Priory School.
His obituary described him as intelligent, excellent in school and a member of the gifted program from kindergarten through eighth grade.
At Priory, he found a community he loved. He ran cross country and was involved in the robotics club. He also could often be found in the stands at Priory hockey games, cheering on the team with friends.
Sports mattered to him, but so did learning. He played baseball and basketball, yet his real passion was education and challenging himself in class.
He also attended summer programs at Truman State and Vanderbilt, where he enjoyed learning, meeting new people and broadening his world.
Friends and family said he loved reading, traveling, being outdoors and spending time on the deck at home, where he would relax, study or read.
His obituary remembered him as having “the softest heart of gold,” a kind spirit and a humble personality. It said he was a friend to everyone and someone who would not hesitate to help other people.
A family still living with the loss
The family’s grief has not faded with time. Gage’s mother, Amy, said he and other students were being targeted on social media and at parties as part of a drug selling plot aimed at private school kids. S
he said the sellers were looking for young people under pressure, including students who wanted help keeping up with school.
Investigators later found messages tied to purchases of Xanax and Percocet, and prosecutors said Salman and two others were advertising drugs online through platforms like Telegram and Instagram.
One federal investigator said the group used social media as a “daily menu” for younger users.
Another case detail showed that a different minor overdosed after believing she was buying Percocet, though she survived after Narcan was used.
The family’s pain also came through in the way Greg Huesgen described his son’s mindset.
He said Gage put pressure on himself because he did not want to fail and always knew people were watching him. Still, his father said, “he wasn’t failing.”
That is the part of the story that has stayed with the family and the school community. Gage was a teenager with promise, drive and a full life ahead of him.
He liked sports, school, friends, reading and family. He cared about people. He loved his dogs. He was the kind of kid people remember because he made them feel welcome.
The court sentence brought a measure of accountability, but it did not change what was lost. The Huesgen family still carries the absence of a son and brother who should have had many more years ahead of him.
Gage’s obituary asked that memorials be made in his name to Saint Louis Priory High School or Five Acres Animal Shelter. Those gifts have become part of how people are trying to honor a life that touched many others, even if it ended too soon.
He is remembered now not only for the tragedy that took him, but for the student, athlete and friend he was while he was here.
