Two arrested after drugs death of Hamilton woman (22)

Oct 29 2009 by Gary Fanning, Hamilton Advertiser

TWO people have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a young Hamilton woman.Stephanie Balcarras (22) was found dead in her friend’s house in St Anne’s, Blackpool, on Saturday.

Her grieving family were told that she was found slumped over a computer.

The former Hamilton Grammar and St John’s pupil had been staying with her sister, Laura Jane, in the Lancashire town when tragedy struck.

Stephanie’s heartbroken mum Teresa blamed an overdose of the legal party drug GBL for her daughter’s death.

Officers from Lancashire Constabulary and Lancashire Ambulance Service attended a flat in St Anne’s, North Promenade, Blackpool, on Saturday at 10am following a report of Stephanie’s death.

A police spokeswoman said at this time the death is being treated as unexplained.

“A 42 year-old man from Lytham St Annes has been arrested on suspicion of murder and possession of class A drugs and a 25-year-old woman from Lytham St Annes was arrested on suspicion of murder,” she added.

“Both have been bailed pending further enquires.”

GBL (gamma-butyrolactone), also known as liquid ecstasy, is popular with clubbers who mix it with water or orange juice and then drink it.

It costs about 50p a shot or £23.50 for a small bottle which provides around 60 shots.

The chemical is harmless if used as intended as a paint stripper or rust removal for garages.

But is deadly if the concentration is even slightly wrong.

It is so dangerous that the Home Office will criminalise the drug by the end of the year.

Devastated mum Teresa told the Advertiser: “The police told my other daughter Laura Jane that it was a drugs overdose and that she was found slumped over a computer.

“But we can rule out heroin because she has no track mark or needles in her arm.

“They think it’s a legal drug called GBL. She loved her body too much to put anything into it.

“It’s not something that you think is ever going to happen to you.

“I just want to know what happened to my wee lassie.

“The last thing I wanted to do was bury one of my kids.”

And Teresa wants young people to learn from her daughter’s death.

“I want other young people and parents to be aware of the dangers of all drugs,” she said.

“We don’t want another family to go through the heartache we did.”

Stephanie’s funeral will take place at South Lanarkshire Crematorium today (Thursday) at 1.15pm.

Her ashes will be buried at the Bent Cemetery tomorrow (Friday).

Laura Jane paid tribute to Stephanie on Facebook.

She said: “My sister, my best friend, my everything.” and those words will be inscribed on her gravestone at the cemetery.

At 1am on the night of her death, Stephanie was in good spirits and chatting to her cousin Sarah in Hamilton on Facebook.

And two hours later at 3am she told Laura Jane that she was making her way home to her house – only a short walk across the back from her friend’s home.

Stephanie is believed to have last spoken to a friend on Facebook about 3.55am.

Teresa, who lives in Barrow In Furness, added: “Stephanie would call me about three times per day.

“I was like her PA, I phoned to get jobs for her and would call her boyfriends to dump them for her.

“I did everything for her. She called me on Friday to send her medical card to her as the Job Centre hadn’t sorted out her money.

“Everyone had a good word to say about her. She was fine at 11 o’clock at night and she was dead by 4am.”

Stephanie lived on and off with her aunts Katherine Maxwell in Hamilton and Helen in Wishaw. She also stayed with Laura Jane in Blackpool.

Stephanie lived for three years with Katherine in the Low Waters Road area.

She visited the Wee Dram and Auld Hoose in Low Waters Road and celebrated her 21st birthday in the Wee Dram.

Katherine (41), who now lives in Brackenhill Drive, paid tribute to a “fun-loving” and “outgoing” girl who was ‘family-oriented.”

“She wanted to party with everyone and everyone was her friend,” she added. “Stephanie was very trusting.

“She loved her family and her family meant the world to her. All friends in Hamilton and all school friends have been calling about it.”

Katherine’s husband William Maxwell added: “She always said that she was the prettiest red-head you would every met in your life.

“Stephanie took a lot of pride in the way she dressed.

“She took care of her hair and clothes.”

The family said a post-mortem had come back inconclusive and they are now waiting on toxicology reports.