Dennis RomeroUpdated with revised statement from EDC's promoters, at the bottom.
Two more deaths have been possibly linked to Electric Daisy Carnival, the L.A.-bred rave that has been under fire following the death of 15-year-old Sasha Rodriguez at the Los Angeles party last year and subsequent demise of a 19-year-old attendee at the Dallas edition last weekend.
Jesse Morales and Kyle Raymond Haigis, both 22, are said to have died after taking ecstasy and attending EDC Dallas last year and this year, respectively.
While our sister publication Dallas Observer just posted a story stating the family of Morales has come forward to say he died after taking ecstasy and attending last year's Electric Daisy Carnival rave in Dallas, the Dallas Morning News is reporting there might be another death connected to last weekend's event. The DMN:
Authorities suspect a 22-year-old man likely ingested drugs at a Fair Park rave before he ran onto U.S. 75 near Sherman and was hit and killed by a tractor-trailer Sunday morning.
Kyle Raymond Haigis was killed in the accident not long after the Electric Daisy Carnival in Dallas was shut down by police early Sunday morning. Haigis was a passenger in a vehicle with a friend and began acting belligerent, apparently as a reaction to drugs he had taken, police said.
His friend told the police Haigis the man took ecstasy.
Hipsters at EDC Dallas.; Credit: Kevin Todora
A spokeswoman for the L.A.-based promoter, Insomniac Events, told us:
Insomniac was only recently informed of this unfortunate accident. Since the details and facts surrounding the accident are extremely scarce, we reached out to local authorities to find out what actually occurred. However, at this time, we do not believe that it is related to the event.
Meanwhile the story of 22-year-old Jesse Morales would suggest yet another ecstasy related death could be connected to EDC — this one from last year's party. According to the Observer:
Family members say Morales, a native of Garden City, Kansas, and a student at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, was taken to Baylor University Medical Center after he was found unconscious and separated from his friends at last year's Electric Daisy Carnival in Dallas.
According to his family, Morales left his friends, overheated and in search of water. When his friends finally found him at the end of the night, he was unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital, initially checking in with a body temperature of 107 degrees. He never regained consciousness.
The spokeswoman for Insomniac told the Weekly:
To the best of my knowledge, Insomniac was never informed about this incident by the family of Jesse Morales or any authority in Dallas. As such, we have no idea what is alleged to have occurred over a year ago. Until we know the facts, we have no reason to believe that it is related to the event.
It can't bode well for Insomniac, which has been under fire for the ecstasy-crazed fans the DJ-driven events attract.
Following last year's death of teen Sasha Rodriguez the organizer vowed that future events would be 18-and-up instead of 16 and older.
Insomniac has promised to beef up security and continue it's “zero tolerance” party toward drugs at its three-day Las Vegas rave which starts Friday.
Just today Insomniac CEO Pasquale Rotella issued a statement saying organizers have their act together and will not tolerate drugs at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway party:
First of all, we will continue our strong 'Zero Tolerance' policy at this year's event. Anyone in possession of, or who attempts to purchase or sell illegal substances, will be turned over to law enforcement.
From our very first planning meetings we have worked closely with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Clark County Fire Department, University Medical Center, Medic West, CSC, Staff Pro, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and many others to develop a comprehensive security and safety plan to help ensure the safety of our fans to the utmost of our ability. We encourage all of our attendees to act like adults and take care of themselves and their friends to make sure everyone has a fun and safe time.
Rotella moved EDC from L.A.'s publicly run Coliseum to Vegas following the controversy over teen Rodriguez's death. He said recently that he would like the party to return to L.A.
Update: Insomniac's publicist sent us this revised statement on the death of Haigis:
Insomniac was only recently informed of this unfortunate accident. Since the details and facts surrounding the accident are extremely scarce, we reached out to local authorities to find out what actually occurred. Insomniac takes every reasonable precaution to ensure that our fans enjoy our events in a safe and secure environment by working with local police, fire departments, employing undercover officers, using ID scanners and a thorough pat down at the point of entry. While we maintain a zero tolerance policy, it's impossible for us to control individual choices. Our events are for adults who are 18 and over and we expect them to act accordingly.
First posted at 2:47 p.m. on June 22.
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