Mum of girl, 13, who died after taking ecstasy days before Christmas reveals her presents remain unopened a year later
THE DEVASTATED mum of a schoolgirl poisoned by ecstasy before Christmas last year has revealed that her presents remain unopened in her bedroom.
Eboney Cheshire became one of Britain’s youngest ecstasy victims when she died in December 2018, aged just 13.
She spent the days before her death with her mum, Kerry, watching Christmas films and decorating the house for the festive season.
It is believed the drug was bought over Snapchat, and hours later, Eboney was dead.
Kerry, 40, from Rainhill, Merseyside, gave up her job for almost a year to campaign for the truth into her daughter’s death.
She trawled the streets, gave out leaflets and tracked down drug dealing gangs – all in the hope that she would one day have justice for her little girl.
Kerry, who has recently returned to her work as a mental health practitioner, said: “I just want to know what happened, I want to know why my daughter died. I’ve met with drug dealers, I’ve put posters up, I’ve put myself in danger, but I won’t stop until I get the truth.
“I had no idea Eboney had ever even taken a drug in her life. She had never been in any trouble.
“She was full of fun and confidence and she adored Christmas.
“She had a cat called Grinch and she would dress him up in baby clothes.
“It breaks my heart that she will never open her Christmas presents.”
Eboney was Kerry’s only daughter and dreamed of becoming a doctor.
Kerry, who also has a 17-year-old son called Leon, said: “My parents used to look after Eboney whilst I was working and they would read to her and teach her the capitals and the flags of the world. She had a fabulous general knowledge.
“She wanted to do medicine after school and I think she would have made it.
“She was a beautiful girl too. She was just getting into wearing make-up and clothes when she died.
“She had a lovely group of friends. Of course there were bad influences at school, which I tried to steer Eboney away from, but I had no serious concerns about her.”
In the run up to Christmas 2018, the family prepared for the festive season as usual.
Kerry said: “We always make a big fuss at Christmas and Eboney especially loved Christmas. She even called her cat Grinch.
“But Eboney had picked up a cold in November which she struggled to shift, and she wasn’t herself. On December 1 she had a day off school with a high temperature. I had the day off work so we just snuggled up on the couch and watched Christmas films.
“It was a lovely day – one which I cherish now.
“For Christmas, she wanted a new double bed with fancy bedding, a blue-tooth speaker and some perfume and make-up.
“Most of my Christmas shopping was done and Eboney’s presents were wrapped.”
The pair spent the following day watching festive films and decorating the house. On December 3, Kerry went to work and Eboney arranged to meet with friends, feeling a little better.
Kerry said: “When I got home in the evening, just before 8pm, Eboney was sitting on the couch wearing her favourite red bubble coat, absorbed in her mobile phone.
“The first thing I said to her was: ‘Look at the state of the house!’ I was moaning at her, because I’d worked a long shift and she hadn’t even tidied up.
“She just ignored me and went up to her bedroom, still looking at her phone.
“I thought she was being a typical teenager so I started cleaning and hoovering and then I had something to eat and I watched TV.”
But when Kerry checked on Eboney just after 10.30pm, she found her suffering a massive seizure.
Kerry said: “I went into panic. She was in the dark, in her bed clothes and in bed. Her eyes were rolling to the back of her head."
Eboney’s temperature hit 40°C as paramedics fought to help her.
She was rushed to hospital, where she died four hours later.
Kerry said: “I was in complete shock. My family came to the hospital and we were all devastated.”
Doctors said she appeared to have suffered a fatal reaction to something she had taken.
Kerry said: “I was racking my brains, wondering what on earth she could have taken. But I just had no idea.”
Tests finally revealed her cause of death to be Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) toxicity. MDMA is more commonly known as ecstasy.
In the aftermath of Eboney’s death, police searched her room and found no traces of the drug, or anything else that could have been suspicious.
Eboney’s funeral was held on January 2.
Kerry said: “I have been over and over the hours before her death and it makes no sense. CCTV shows her in the local shop, around 7:30pm, buying sweets and a drink.
“I can only think she met with someone on the way to the shop – maybe she was spiked or maybe she fell prey to drug dealers.
“But why would Eboney take a drug, on her way home, just before bed?
“She had never taken drugs. She had never been in any trouble. It was a massive shock.
“I felt so guilty – why hadn’t I spotted any signs or symptoms? I am a trained medical professional yet I didn’t realise my own daughter had taken a drug and she was in danger.”
The police investigation into Eboney’s death has brought no arrests and the family are still desperate for answers.
Kerry said: “Christmas passed us in a blur. We were not allowed back in the house in the days before Christmas and my friend took down the Christmas tree and all our decorations.
“Eboney had helped me decorate the tree and I couldn’t bear to even look at it.
“I gave my son, Leon, his presents on Christmas morning but he could not open them.
“Eboney’s Christmas presents are in her bedroom, still unopened. Her school blazer and her school shoes are hanging in the hallway.
“I don’t want to celebrate without my little girl and neither does Leon.
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“My campaign won’t stop, even over Christmas, until I have the answers I need.
“I’ve had calls from children at the school, giving me information, and we believe that Eboney got the drugs, over snap-chat, from a local source. I am very close to the truth.
“But until justice is done, my fight will go on.”
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