COPS PROBING TEEN'S DEATH

LEFROY -- Teenagers in this small town southeast of Barrie are shaken after
one of their 15-year-old friends died on the weekend after ingesting a
lethal combination of drugs and alcohol.

Described as popular, effervescent and funny, the Innisfil youth was
pronounced dead in hospital Sunday morning when emergency workers couldn't
revive him.

"He was my best friend," said one teen, who congregated along with others
seeking support Monday in another teen's home.

"He was not a druggie and he didn't do things like this. He was a good guy.
Everyone's in shock."

South Simcoe Police are awaiting results of a post-mortem and toxicology
tests after being called to a Lefroy home around 11 a.m. Sunday, where the
teen was found with no vital signs.

He was rushed to Royal Victoria Hospital, where staff administered CPR, but
to no avail.

Police say the youth likely passed away due to an overdose of narcotics, or
by ingesting a deadly mix of marijuana, alcohol and morphine.

"It's tragic," said Insp. Tom McDonald. "This should be a message to youth
to exercise caution. They can't be ingesting narcotics without knowing what
the full impact will be."

According to a friend of the deceased's 18-year-old brother, who refers to
himself as S.D., five or six teens got together Saturday night at a Lefroy
home where the group experimented with narcotics.

Some of the deceased's friends surmised he may have got the morphine from
another 15-year-old, who may have stole it from his parents.

"He passed out and was sleeping on his back," S.D. said.

"He choked, he had fluid in his lungs."

When his friends awoke Sunday, they discovered the teen was not breathing,
said S.D.

He said a parent in the home tried mouth-to-mouth in an attempt to
resuscitate the teen, while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

"I watched the ambulance drive away," said S.D., who was at work down the
street Sunday as the tragedy unfolded.

"He wasn't even old enough to shave. If people don't learn anything from
this they need to get mental help. If it doesn't stop them, it should make
them a lot more cautious at least. If it doesn't, they need help."

Dolores Sullivan, whose son was friends with the dead teen, believes many
teens in small towns like Lefroy need help saying no to drugs.

That's why she sold her house and is moving to a larger town, where she
says there are more activities for youths. The stay-at-home mom believes
marijuana use is a big problem and idleness is driving teens to drugs.

"The municipality needs to get involved to get these kids off the streets,"
she said. "They get out of school and walk the streets, they're not
supervised. They have nothing to do."

But S.D. said teens aren't using drugs out of boredom.

Experimenting with illicit substances is just something teens do, he said.
"It's the same thing everywhere you go."

Acknowledging many teens won't heed this tragedy as they should, S.D. said
that most teens don't realize the impact of their actions, or the actions
of their peers.

"It hasn't really hit them yet," he said. "Maybe at the funeral it will.
When you're young you think you're invincible."

The deceased's friends talk about him in the present when they describe his
charm. Calling their group close-knit, they say they've known the dead teen
since elementary school.

"He is the funniest guy and he'll do anything to make you laugh," said one
teen, recalling how she and the deceased used to horse around and make
others laugh. "I never thought I'd have to go to a funeral for a friend
before they turned 16."