BUTTE — A 17-year-old Butte boy is dead and four other teenagers were hospitalized after taking a mix of synthetic drugs while gathered at the Delmoe Lake Campground east of Butte.
Dylan Steel said he’s just trying to remember the good things about his younger brother.
“Oh, I remember his beautiful blue eyes, I’ll never forget those eyes, and he had this goofy, little crooked smile and when he would dance he really would dance like no one was watching,” said Steel.
The incident occurred Tuesday, August 23, 2022, at the popular but secluded campground. Some of the teens ingested MDMA, also known as Molly, and two other forms of psychedelic drugs.
The 17-year-old victim was taken from the campground by Jefferson County Ambulance to St. James HealthCare in Butte, where he was transferred to another hospital and died three days later.
“By the fact that they were at Delmoe Lake, which is a considerable distance by ambulance, and so when they realized they were in need of medical personnel, you're quite a ways away from medical personnel to deliver the lifesaving measures,” said Butte Sheriff Ed Lester.
The four surviving teens, whose ages range from 15 to 16 were treated and released from St. James.
Steel identified his younger brother as Tobias Boucher. He doesn’t want this tragedy to happen to other teens.
“I don’t want people to think that this poison, that this evil is limited to people out on the streets or people in bad situations, because it doesn’t care. It’s ruthless, it’s vile and it can happen to anyone,” said Steel.
Lester says the young age of the victim makes this even more of a tragedy.
“It turns my stomach, quite honestly, to realize these kids were together planning to have a good time, probably an end-of-the-summer type situation, and were in over the heads, didn’t realize what they’re up against and now their lives are changed forever and one of our children from Butte is dead,” the sheriff said.
Investigators are awaiting a toxicology exam conducted by the Montana Crime Lab and the case remains under investigation.
