Poppy Rogers Death: Parents Pay Tribute To 'Beautiful' Daughter

Parents' Tributes To 'Beautiful' Daughter Who 'Died After Taking Drug Paste'

The 16-year-old girl who died after apparently taking drugs was a "beautiful, funny and charming daughter", her parents have said.

Poppy Rodgers died early on Friday after taking a "yellow-white" paste thought to contain amphetamine.

Poppy's parents paid tribute to their daughter, saying she had "a personality that charmed everyone" and "a family that would provide her with anything".

They said the York College student had come into contact with people "who encouraged her to make bad choices".

In a statement issued through North Yorkshire Police, they said: "Poppy was a bright, young girl with the world ahead of her. She had a personality that charmed everyone and from a very young age put a smile on the face of everyone who met her.

"She had two loving parents and a family that would provide her with everything, and all the support that she could possibly need.

"Sadly, along with her open nature came a certain naive view of the world, and Poppy would trust everyone that she met in her all too short life.

"Over the last year, she was able to be influenced by those outside her family who didn't have her best interest at heart. She came into contact with people, much older than her, who encouraged her to make bad choices and we regret that the result of this is what we are dealing with today.

"We have lost a beautiful, funny and charming daughter and we miss her terribly."

Her former headmaster Carl Sugden described the trainee beauty therapist as a "well-regarded" and "popular" girl to the York Press while family and friends paid tribute on social networking sites.

Paramedics were called to a property in Tang Hall Lane, York, at around 11.30pm on Thursday night and rushed Poppy to York District Hospital in an ambulance.

She died despite attempts to resuscitate her.

Her death prompted police to issue an urgent health warning for people in the area not to risk taking any substance with a similar description.

A 21-year-old man, also believed to have taken the substance, was discharged from York District Hospital yesterday.

A 23-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, both from York, who were arrested in connection with the investigation, were bailed on Saturday.

Police said a post-mortem examination has been carried out but further tests are needed to determine the cause of death.

An inquest into Poppy's death will open and adjourn on Wednesday in York.

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