Family of Sylvan Lake victim urges families to talk about drugs: ‘It could make all of the difference’
Global News
'Please take Olivia's passing and bring a bit of light from it — use this experience to talk to your children,' said the family of the teen who died Easter weekend in Sylvan Lake.
On the same day a young girl who died tragically over Easter weekend in Sylvan Lake was laid to rest, her central Alberta family said the death was preventable and urged other parents to talk to their kids about substance use.
Olivia Dawn Johnson, 13, from Red Deer, and another 12-year-old girl from Sylvan Lake, died on Sunday, April 9, in a room at the Best Western Hotel the town about 15 kilometres west of Red Deer that’s popular with recreationists and lake-goers.
The night Olivia passed, her family said she was with a friend at a birthday gathering.
The family said the girls went swimming at the hotel’s pool, had dinner and then were having a sleepover in their own room while a parent stayed in the room next door, checking in periodically.
“There are no words for how tragic and unnecessary Olivia’s death was,” her family said in a statement to Global News. The family said they did the hardest thing imaginable on Tuesday: saying goodbye to their Olivia.
Police said there are no indications Olivia or the other girl took their own lives or were killed, and believe the deaths were non-criminal.
The official cause of death is still being determined but police have told the family it was most likely an overdose.
Police also said publicly last week an overdose is being looked into, but toxicology testing takes anywhere from a few days to a few months to complete.
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