Coroner: Santa Rosa teen overdosed on GHB

A 14-year-old Santa Rosa girl who died during a sleepover at her home last summer overdosed on GHB, part of a class of "date rape" drugs that have become popular among young people at dance clubs and raves, investigators said Tuesday.

Takeimi Rao, an A-student who in the spring had graduated from Rincon Valley Middle School, died from drinking a fatal dose of Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid in a beverage, the Sonoma County Coroner concluded.

The new test results emerged from a nearly seven-month investigation into Rao's death at the July 9 sleepover. Investigators initially thought the teenager might have succumbed to alcohol poisoning after drinking vodka with three friends.

Sonoma County sheriff's detectives have not determined whether Rao intentionally or accidentally ingested the dangerous drug, which contains ingredients that are commercially available as industrial cleaning solvents.

Rao's mother Aleae Pennette and stepfather Scott Moyer declined to be interviewed Tuesday.

Through their attorney, Erik Bruce, the couple suggested the girls may have accidentally ingested a cleaning solvent, which they thought was vodka.

"Either they got a hold of the drug from someone else, or the only other option is they got into something accidentally," Bruce said.

Sheriff's Lt. Dennis O'Leary said detectives will check into whether the GHB could be connected to a solvent in the home.

"We've interviewed everybody who was present. At this point no one .

.

. gave us any information about where it came from," O'Leary said. The designer drug GHB is known as a party drug for its euphoric effect. It was classified as a food and dietary supplement and sold in health food stores in early 1990, according to government reports. Within the year it was deemed dangerous and banned for over-the-counter sales.Though it's highly restricted, GHB is easy to make and illegal uses are common, federal drug experts say.Rao's three friends told detectives they weren't aware they were drinking GHB, O'Leary said.Initially, the girls said they had drunk vodka and soda that night and they believed Rao had sneaked the vodka from a bottle in a kitchen cupboard.Traces of GHB appeared in the small paper cups the girls used, O'Leary said. It also was found in a plastic water bottle.A partially filled bottle of vodka was found in the home, with no trace of GHB, and it was unclear if the girls actually drank vodka that night, O'Leary said.All four girls began vomiting that night - another indication they all could have ingested GHB, which can induce nausea, O'Leary said.They were tended by Rao's mother and then returned to their makeshift bed on the floor to sleep out the night.Just a few hours later the three girls had gone home and Rao was found face down on the floor, dead.News accounts of the 14-year-old's death included the possibility she'd died from alcohol poisoning or had choked while vomiting.The news launched a community conversation about young teens and alcohol, the hazards of drinking and the possibly fatal dangers of drinking too much. But initial toxicology tests showed minimal levels of alcohol in Rao's blood and the autopsy showed she hadn't choked.Investigators in August sent blood samples for another round of tests. This time they asked lab technicians to look for dozens of drugs and compounds, said Sgt. Greg Stashyn, who supervises the Coroner's Office."It was a shotgun approach," he said.Several weeks later that came back negative. Investigators moved on to more obscure drugs and compounds, this time including designer GHB. Several weeks later those results came back with an answer.The findings showed the amount of GHB in Rao's body was toxic, according to the county pathologist's findings.The report also noted various affects of a GHB overdose may have played a role.The drug can slow breathing rates to dangerously low levels. Rao also apparently had been sleeping against one of her friends and was found face down. The positioning may have led to asphyxia, according to the report.Man-made GHB is usually a clear liquid and sometimes a white powder. On the street, it's sold by the capful for $5 to $25 and goes by such nicknames as "liquid ecstasy," "easy lay" and "Georgia homeboy.""It's odorless, colorless and tasteless," said Michele Gregory of the California Department of Justice. It can be slightly salty, some drug experts say.Detectives are hoping for help with the investigation. O'Leary asked anyone with information about the GHB to contact detectives at 565-2185.Staff Writer Julie Johnson contributed to this story.

The designer drug GHB is known as a party drug for its euphoric effect. It was classified as a food and dietary supplement and sold in health food stores in early 1990, according to government reports. Within the year it was deemed dangerous and banned for over-the-counter sales.