Police have confirmed the drug that killed 16-year-old Angel Loyer-Lawrence was MDMA.
Angel and a friend bought the drugs in pill form in New Westminster on Friday, May 26, but when they took the drugs, both girls became ill. Angel died. The other girl, also 16, was rushed to hospital.
Initially, investigators believed the drugs – believed by the girls to be the party drug MDMA – was a mixture of unknown substances. Further testing, however, revealed there was no mixture and the drugs are in fact MDMA, according to a toxicology report by the B.C. Coroner Service.
“MDMA can increase blood pressure and cause body temperature to spike,” said New Westminster Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Jeff Scott, in a press release. “We are urging the public, especially those going out and planning to take recreational drugs to think twice. There is always a risk when taking drugs and the only way of staying safe is to avoid drugs altogether.”
It’s unknown how many pills the teens took. Both were students at the New Westminster-based POWER alternate school, a program that serves vulnerable students age 16 to 18 from across the Lower Mainland.
New Westminster police continue to investigate the incident and are searching for the dealer who sold the teens the pills. No arrests have been made at this time.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact detectives at 604-525-5411.
