B.C. teen faces manslaughter charge in fatal 2024 fentanyl overdose
Police in Prince George were called to a home where a 16-year-old was found unconscious. She died in hospital a week later
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A 17-year-old has been charged with manslaughter in the death of another teen who died after suffering a fentanyl overdose.
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On June 26, 2024, Prince George RCMP were called to a home in the 7600-block of McMaster Crescent, in the city’s College Heights neighbourhood, where a 16-year-old girl was found unconscious.
She was taken to hospital where it was determined she had high levels of fentanyl in her blood. She died the following week.
A charge of manslaughter has since been approved by the B.C. Prosecution Service. On Tuesday, the RCMP serious crime unit arrested a suspect, who can’t be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The teen was taken to court the same day and released on conditions.
“This is a tragedy, and our thoughts continue to be with the deceased’s family,” said Staff Sgt. Aaron Whitehouse. “We also recognize that this event has had a larger impact on the community including the accused and their family.”
Whitehouse, who is commander of the city’s plainclothes division, said police are “committed to making every effort to ensure that our youth are safe.
“To that end, we are pleased that this matter will be addressed by the court. We also want to encourage parents, guardians and teachers to continue having hard conversations with youth about unprescribed drug use and its inherent dangers.”
Police noted at the time of the fatal overdose that possessing up to 2.5 grams of illicit drugs for personal use was allowed, but that does not apply to youth — and trafficking remains punishable with serious charges.
“When the actions of a drug trafficker result in a death these consequences can increase substantially,” Whitehouse said at the time.
The B.C. government announced yesterday the decriminalization experiment will be dropped at the end of the month.
