Police pursue Fantasy claim after fatal 40th
The woman who died in a suspected group overdose on the Gold Coast had posted an enthusiastic “she’s back!” on social media weeks before her 40th - as police probe what was consumed at her party.
Danni Whittaker, who turned 40 just days before her untimely, heartbreaking death in a Surfers Paradise highrise apartment on Good Friday, took to Facebook on March 20 calling on friends to “rise up” for equality.
“She’s back!!,” she wrote in her final post. “Today should be more balanced; spring equinox where the day and the night are both equal.
“TRUE equality is what we are here for. We don’t need more women in STEM. We don’t need quotas to have more females in fire fighting.
“I give two f--ks whose fault it is the world’s in such a state! I give f---s about a solution. Rise up, be the solution, and together we’ll achieve equality. Men and women need to be more united but first we need to heal, LOVE.”
The self described ‘Shamanic Medicine Woman’ was celebrating her 40th birthday with friends at the Meriton Apartments in Surfers Paradise – known as Ocean – on Friday night when she went into cardiac arrest after consuming a cocktail of drugs.
Despite the desperate efforts of paramedics, Ms Whittaker could not be revived.
Two other women were hospitalised in a serious condition while four others had reported breathing difficulties.
Tributes flooded her Facebook, with friends describing Ms Whittaker as a “force of nature” an “inspiration”.
“Your strength, your humour, your wit, you have empowered so many,” her friend Chealsee Lewis wrote in a tribute online.
“You’ve had such a huge impact on my life and I can’t believe you’re no longer here.”
Kaz Jackson wrote: “You were a force to reckon with, and had so many amazing plans to help so many people. Kind, courageous, sensitive, hilarious, fierce, upfront, honest (blunt), all of those things and so much more - it has been one hell of a ride and I am so bloody lucky to have known you, let alone call you a close friend.”
Ms Jackson asked that if someone from Ms Whittaker’s family saw her post to reach out as she wanted to “give her whanau a huge hug and help in whatever way I can”.
In response, another person wrote: “Danii’s family is requesting privacy until they can piece together what happened. This is an awful shock and will take a fair bit of planning to get everything sorted. They are wanting to celebrate her life, but for now, please hold off.”
A Queensland Police Service spokesman said on Monday the cause of her death had yet to be determined.
“Police will prepare a report for the coroner following the non-suspicious death” the spokesman said. “Investigations are ongoing.” Police sources have told the Bulletin one line of inquiry they are pursuing is whether the women consumed the drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB/Fantasy) during their celebrations.
“There is a potent mixture that is in the market across SEQ but especially on the Gold Coast,” a police source told the Bulletin.
“We’d be at least 30-35 overdoses here (Coast) since the start of the year. That’s just Fantasy.
“It’s one of those substances where two people who are similar age/make up or what not, they can consume the same amount and have very different outcomes.”
Speaking to media on Saturday, Queensland Ambulance Service Inspector Mitch Ware issued a stern warning to anyone wishing to experiment with so-called “party drugs”.
“I want to start off by paying my condolences to the family of the 40-year-old female who lost her life (but) I won’t sugar coat it – there is no such thing as a safe drug, there is no such thing as a party drug,” he said.
“These medications that people are electing to take will stop you from breathing.
“They will render you unconscious and if you don’t obtain specialist care, you will die.”