VICTIM'S KIN WARN ABOUT ECSTASY PILL

Lost Their Teen Daughter to Drug on Dec. 22

An Abbotsford family struggling to cope with the tragic loss of their
teenage daughter at Christmas is warning other parents and teens of
the dangers of ecstasy.

Seventeen-year-old Cheryl McCormack died on Dec. 22 after taking
ecstasy. She and three other teenage girls were at a sleepover a few
nights earlier, where all four friends took an ecstasy pill to lose or
man-age their weight, said Abbots-ford police.

At around 3 a.m., however, McCormack became unresponsive and was taken
to hospital, where she remained in critical condition. She died just
three days before Christmas.

"How can anybody be pre-pared to deal with this when you've got
Christmas decorations up and lights through-out the city?" said
Abbots-ford police spokesman Const. Ian MacDonald. "This young girl
thought [ecstasy] was the gateway to weight management, and
unfortunately sacrificed her life."

MacDonald said the other three girls were fine, even though they all
took the same pill. Investigators are still waiting for toxicology
tests to determine the exact cause of McCormack's death.

"I think what's important to remember is ecstasy or any illicit drug
is not manufactured in a pharmaceutical plant," MacDonald said. "There
is no quality control, there is no guarantee that what you think
you're ingesting is in fact what you're ingesting. It's quite possible
the drug could have been in varying amounts."

MacDonald also said this is not the first time the four girls took
ecstasy in order to lose weight, though police are still trying to
find out where they got the drug. He believes there may be more teens
out there doing the same thing.

The family have requested privacy, but have indicated that they want
the story of Cheryl's tragic death to be told accurately. They have
also established a bursary in memory of Cheryl. The bursary will be
for Abbotsford high-school students who are planning on attending
post-secondary school and are in financial need.

"The family, despite obviously struggling and still coming to terms
with this, has been extremely courageous," said MacDonald. "They want
to warn parents like them-selves and teens like their daughter from
having the same fate befall them."

Anyone wishing to express their condolences to the family, in lieu of
flowers, can make a donation to the Cheryl McCormack Memorial Award.
They can donate by calling 604-850-3755 or by mailing a cheque to the
Abbotsford Community Foundation at 204-2890 Garden St., Abbots-ford,
B.C., V2T 4W7.

The Abbotsford Police Department is seeking to identify the supplier
and source of the ecstasy. Any-one with information should call the
APD at 604-859-5225 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.