Prince George RCMP say a 16-year-old girl died over the weekend, days after she was taken to hospital from an overdose involving fentanyl.
Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said in a news release Tuesday (July 2) that the teen passed away over the weekend. The detachment's serious crime unit is still investigating, and Cooper said it is a "top priority."
“Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the young victim, in their time of tragedy and loss," Cooper said.
Police were called to a home in the 7600-block of McMaster Crescent on June 26, around 7 a.m., where a teen was found unconscious. She was taken to hospital by B.C. Emergency Health Services, where she was found to have " high levels of fentanyl in her blood."
Prince George RCMP officers spent the majority of the day searching the home to "help determine the circumstances around what occurred and if any criminality can be established."
After the overdose, Mounties said that while adults can have up to 2.5 grams of illicit substances for personal use under certain conditions, Prince George RCMP says the "law is clear that this is not the case for our youth."
“When the actions of a drug trafficker result in a death these consequences can increase substantially. In Prince George, all drug related deaths are investigated by the RCMP and the B.C. Coroners Service. In this case, we also recognize the exceedingly high expectation on police from the public when a youth appears to have been targeted by a fentanyl trafficker," Sgt. Whitehouse, commander of Prince George RCMP's serious crime unit.