The family and friends of a 16-year-old Coquitlam girl are mourning her shocking death after she is believed to have overdosed on drugs in the bathroom of a Port Moody Starbucks.
The Gleneagle secondary student and coach at TAG Gymnastics was found unresponsive in the bathroom of the Ioco Road location shortly after 5 p.m. on Sunday; emergency responders were unable to revive her.
"Rest easy Gwyn Staddon," wrote a friend on Facebook. "I'll miss chilling with you at the park and seeing your gorgeous face around. You had your whole life ahead of you!"
Other messages cautioned young people to stay away from drugs, noting how quickly things can go from "a bit of fun" to deadly.
"It will take your life away right before your eyes," said one message. "For half you people who didn't know this young poor girl was struggling [and] needed help yet still no one succeeded…she's been such a nice warm hearted person she's in a better place now."
Port Moody Police said there was drug paraphernalia and a small amount of drugs located at the scene that lead police to suspect a drug overdose. They were unable to confirm whether fentanyl was involved.
The PMPD Victim Services Unit was on hand to support the family members who had arrived at the time of the tragedy and the Critical Incident team is also speaking to Starbucks staff.
The BC Coroners Service also attended and is investigating the incident along with the PMPD.
"The Port Moody Police would like to emphasize that the risks involved in using illegal drug use are real and can easily result in unintended overdose," PMPD stated in a release.
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