Girl, 16, Found Dead In Starbucks Bathroom, Then Customers See What’s Beside Her Body
A tragic incident from August 2016 continues to resonate years later after a 16-year-old girl was found dead in a coffee shop bathroom, highlighting the devastating impact of youth substance abuse and the ongoing dangers linked to illicit drugs.
Gwynevere Staddon was discovered unresponsive inside the bathroom of a Starbucks in Port Moody, British Columbia. An employee found the teenager and immediately sought help, but emergency responders were unable to revive her. Police later confirmed that Staddon had a small quantity of drugs and drug paraphernalia with her at the time she was found.
Authorities indicated the death was believed to be the result of a drug overdose, though the official cause of death had not yet been finalized at the time. The case quickly drew attention due to Staddon’s age and the circumstances surrounding her death, underscoring the vulnerability of young people struggling with addiction.
Her mother, Veronica Staddon, publicly shared her belief that fentanyl played a role in her daughter’s death, a concern that reflected growing alarm during that period over the drug’s increasing presence in communities. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid many times more potent than heroin, has been linked to a sharp rise in accidental overdoses across Canada.
Veronica described her daughter as someone who had been battling substance use issues for an extended period. In the weeks leading up to her death, Gwynevere had told her mother that she had stopped using drugs and believed she was recovering. The apparent progress offered a sense of relief and hope that, tragically, would not last.
The loss devastated her family, particularly her mother, who turned to social media to express her grief and heartbreak. “My best friend, my daughter, my sweetheart baby … I will never stop missing you,” she wrote. “My heart won’t stop breaking.”
As the community mourned, questions lingered about access to treatment, the dangers of relapse, and the systems meant to protect young people facing addiction — issues that would soon take center stage in the conversation surrounding Gwynevere’s death.