The latest B.C. youth to die after reportedly taking the party drug ecstasy has been identified online as 16-year-old Langley resident Kato Burgess.
Authorities say Burgess collapsed early Sunday morning after taking ecstasy as well as unnamed pharmaceutical drugs.
Mourners have created a memorial page for Burgess on Facebook, where posters describe him as a "great friend" and a "remarkable person with an absolutely beautiful soul."
"He was worth so much more than a $5 pill," wrote another.
A toxicology test is expected to determine whether ecstasy played a role in his death and if so, whether the drug had levels of the toxic hallucinogen paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMMA).
Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe says PMMA has been linked to five ecstasy-related deaths in B.C. over the last six months, and police in Calgary have linked it to another five in that city.
"We have seen a spike in ecstasy-related deaths, and it looks like ecstasy is much more lethal than it normally would be," Lapointe said.
Twenty-year-old Tyler Miller died on Nov. 27, followed by 17-year-old Cheryl McCormack on Dec. 20. An unnamed Burnaby resident died after ingesting the drug on New Year's Eve, and a 22-year-old Vancouver resident died after taking it at a party on Jan. 7.
A 14-year-old boy was one of 16 people who died last year after taking ecstasy, but authorities have not revealed the date or circumstances of his death
Police have repeatedly warned the public that ecstasy use is inherently risky, with no way of determining what chemicals any given dose contains.
Prevention specialist Tibor Palantinus of Narconon Vancouver says the public image of ecstasy and MDMA, the active ingredient in the drug, needs to change to reverse the fatal trend.
"MDMA is promoted as a very safe, therapeutic drug," Palantinus said. "Send a message to people that hey, there are dangers and you better start paying attention… it's not all fun."
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Shaheed Devji
