ALBERTA GIRLS DIE AFTER TAKING ECSTASY

Two Were Among Nine Girls On Paul First Nation Near Edmonton Who Had
Consumed Illegal Drug

EDMONTON -- Two Alberta teens who slipped into comas on the weekend
after taking the street drug ecstasy with seven friends have died
within hours of each other after being removed from life support.
Trinity Dawn Bird, 15, died Tuesday evening at an Edmonton hospital.
Leah Dominique House, 14, died a few hours later.

Both girls were members of the Paul First Nation, about 80 kilometres
west of Edmonton. A third girl who fell seriously ill after taking
the illegal drug was still recovering in hospital yesterday.

The incident has upset and angered many band members, who are
questioning how the girls were able to obtain the drugs.

"I wish they would bust all these fucking dealerz [sic] and put there
[sic] ass in jail," Courtney Bird, Trinity's cousin, angrily wrote on
a social networking Internet site.

RCMP officers were called to the small reserve around 12:45 a.m.
Sunday after one of the girls stumbled into the crowded community
hall, where a traditional wedding round dance was being held, and collapsed.

"When she collapsed, the wedding celebration abruptly halted, and
people went into rescue mode," said Dennis Paul, a community leader.
"And we then found out that there were nine [girls] altogether who
had been taking the drugs."

Members of the reserve, which has 1,100 residents, gathered last
night to pray and remember the two teens. The funerals have
tentatively been planned for tomorrow.

Shortly after the girls were hospitalized, rumours began to circulate
around the reserve that the drugs had been laced with rat poison.
However, police have said tests ruled that out.

Autopsies will be conducted on both teens to determine the cause of death.

The RCMP are still investigating the incident. They are also planning
to speak with local youth in the coming weeks about the dangers of
using street drugs.

"With a street-level drug, you have absolutely no idea what you are
taking," RCMP Corporal Wayne Oakes said.

He said drug problems aren't unique to the Paul Band First Nation.
"These types of issues are present in virtually every Alberta
community," he said.