GRIEF OVER TEEN'S OD

Girl Who Died After Taking Ecstasy Knew The Dangers Of Drugs, Says Mom

The parents of a 14-year-old Edmonton girl who died after taking
ecstasy are struggling to understand why their daughter, who was part
of an anti-drug program, took the pills.

"Cassie had gone through DARE," said Angela Eyre, mother of Cassie
Eyre. "She knew about drugs because I told her I didn't ever want her
to take any. And she had told me she wouldn't because it would ruin
her complexion."

WARNED ABOUT DRUGS

"I remember telling her just a couple weeks ago to stay away from
drugs because there had been reports of ecstasy being laced with rat
poison. I thought that would be enough to scare her, but I guess it
wasn't," said Cassie's stepfather Guy Buehler, referring to a recent
incident at Paul Band First Nation where two teen girls died after
overdosing on ecstasy.

Cassie was taken off life-support Saturday afternoon at Stollery
Children's Hospital after she and her best friend Ashley, also 14,
fell ill Friday night after ingesting a batch of ecstasy pills.

The pair were attending the Rock 'n' Ride Dance Party at West
Edmonton Mall's Galaxy-land amusement park when they were rushed to
hospital and transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit.

Angela had been celebrating her birthday that night at a bar when her
daughter Deanna, 17, called to tell her Cassie and Ashley had been
taken to the hospital. They immediately rushed over to see the girls.

Angela said she was shocked by the sight of her daughter, hooked up
to various IV needles and a tube down her throat to help her breathe.
Ashley's condition stabilized and is said to be doing well, but
Cassie's condition kept worsening.

"Her blood pressure wouldn't stay up, her oxygen level was low. So
they gave her blood transfusions. And when they tried to hook her up
to life support, they had to give her CPR for almost 20 minutes
because her heart had stopped again," Angela said.

Cassie was taken off life-support shortly after 4:30 p.m.

Her parents later learned she had taken six pills and each one was
three times the normal dosage, adding they think it was the first
time she had taken the drug.

A 16-year-old suspected drug dealer believed to be linked to the case
was arrested Saturday afternoon after police tracked him to the area
of 105 Street and 106 Avenue.

SUSPECT COLLAPSED

After leading officers on a foot chase through a nearby laundromat
and into a parking lot, the teen suffered "medical distress" and
collapsed as police tried to handcuff him, said Staff Sgt. Graham Hogg.

The teen was taken to hospital in critical condition and has since
improved, Hogg said. He will likely be released from hospital this
week and could face charges.

Angela said she has no idea who this suspect may be, calling him
"some random guy at the mall."