A 21-year-old woman has died after taking “diet pills” that she bought online.
West Mercia Police said that Eloise Parry, a student from Shrewsbury, died in hospital on April 12th after taking the tablets.
According to reports tests are now being carried out on the pills. It is believed that they contain the toxic industrial chemical dinitrophenol.
Chief Inspector Jennifer Mattinson expressed a deep concern over the source of said tablets and warned the public of the risks of taking such substances.
She said: “We are undoubtedly concerned over the origin and sale of these pills and are working with partner agencies to establish where they were bought from and how they were advertised.
“The coroner’s report will establish the exact cause of Eloise’s death but we urge the public to be incredibly careful when purchasing medicine or supplements over the internet.
“Substances from unregistered websites could put your health at risk as they could be extremely harmful, out-of-date or fake.”
Eloise’s mother Fiona released the following statement: “It is such a great sadness that her life ended so soon, and, in many ways, ended before it had really had a chance to begin.
“There were so many things that she dreamed of doing – travelling, having a career and having a family – things that she never got a chance to experience.
“She will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her and it will be all the good memories of her that we will cherish as we go through the difficult weeks and months ahead.”
It is not clear how many tablets Eloise had taken or over what period of time.
