Officers investigating the tragic death of Leah Heyes in Northallerton have thanked people for coming forward, but say there are more people they need to speak to as they appeal for mobile phone footage taken on the night.
Detective Inspector Eamonn Clarke who is leading the investigation, said:
We have had a good response to our recent appeal for information but we know there are still people out there who have yet to come forward.
Enquiries also reveal that there may be mobile phone video footage of the events of that tragic evening. This footage will be extremely helpful to our investigation and we are appealing to anyone who has footage on their phone, has been shown footage or knows of anyone who has such footage, to come forward.
We also reiterate our appeal to anyone who was in the Applegarth car park or park on Saturday night to please contact us. A young girl with her whole life ahead of her and everything to look forward to has died. A family has been devastated and a community left in shock. It is vital that people come forward and help us find the answers for Leah’s family and friends.
DI Clarke added:
Taking drugs appears to have become ‘the norm’ and more socially acceptable, but the fact is, it can have utterly tragic consequnces and it needs to stop. This devastating case must be the catlyst for people in the community to stand up and help us put a stop put a stop to drug dealing.
If you can assist the investigation, please contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for Northallerton CID. Or call in at the front officer on Crosby Road in Northallerton during (time) .
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Please quote incident number 12190085105
To recap, 15-year-old Leah died on the night of Saturday 11 May 2019 after becoming ill. Although the exact cause of her death is to be determined, she became ill after taking what officers believe to be MDMA, also known as ecstasy or a “bomb”.
There were around 20 people in the area of the Applegarth on Saturday night and officers need to speak to all of them, and anyone else who was passing through.
Two people have been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, a boy aged 17 and a man aged 18. Both have been released while under investigation. Officers have not ruled out making more arrests.
