The Yukon’s chief coroner has ruled that 15-year-old Tora-Lee Williams died of hypothermia last November.
Alcohol was a contributing factor in the Whitehorse girl’s accidental death.
The report lays out the events of last Halloween, painting a series of tragic mishaps that led Williams to end up unconscious on the front lawn of a Kopper King property, just steps from her own front door.
After telling her parents she was going to a movie, Williams went partying with her friends. The group of six friends ended up at Rotary Peace Park around 11 p.m. and shared a 26-ounce bottle of whiskey, the report said.
Williams complained of being cold and wanted to go home. It was -15 C and Williams was wearing only a jacket and jeans. A friend attempted to call and text William’s mother, but only managed to leave a voice message before the cellphone died.
When she didn’t make it home for her 11 p.m. curfew, her stepfather began driving around Whitehorse looking for her. He stayed out until 4 a.m.
Williams left Rotary Peace Park to walk home alone around 12:30 a.m. A taxi driver found her in the fetal position outside the Westmark Hotel and agreed to drive her home.
He said she was intoxicated, and he tried to keep her awake during the drive. When they arrived at her home, he said he opened the car door, let Williams out and waited to make sure she would make it into her house.
“We may never know why, but Ms. Williams never entered her home after being dropped off by the taxi,” chief coroner Kirsten Macdonald wrote in her report.
Williams was found at 7 a.m. the next morning by the owner of the property, who called 911. She was taken to Whitehorse General Hospital, but doctors were unable to resuscitate her.
Macdonald’s report said that aside from alcohol, no other drugs were found in Williams’ system.
Her death has been classified as an accident, and the report makes no recommendations.