Rachel Konig

ANCHOR INTRO: On October 3, 2014, 21 year-old Jessica Hunter made the trip to from
Texas State University in San Marcos to Austin to attend the annual Austin City Limits
music festival. Little did she know this trip would be her last. Rachel Konig has the story.

For the first two weekends of October, thousands of music lovers flood Zilker Park
to see some of their favorite artists perform at ACL. A mini Woodstock, smells of
food, sweat, and even marijuana are in the air. Unfortunately, marijuana isnt the
only drug found on the festival grounds.

Jessica ingested MDMA, a street drug known as ecstasy or molly. MDMA is a
manmade drug that has become popular in nightclubs, music festivals, and concerts.
Effects of MDMA are increased energy and hallucination.

Captain Darren Noak is the Public Information Officer at Austin Travis County
EMS.

NOAK 00:03:23.062-3:29.461 (7) Molly is more of what they call a pure crystallized
form of the drug. But pure is very much a misnomer

MDMA can take different forms depending on what other drug substances are
mixed in. It can be combined with other drugs such as caffeine, cocaine, or bath
salts.

HARRIS 00:03:10 (8) Although it might be sold as MDMA it doesnt mean that its only
MDMA or that it even has any MDMA.

Thats Dr. Adron Harris, a Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Waggoner
Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research at the University of Texas at Austin.

HARRIS 00:06:19 (11) Theres no quality control. How good are those chemists? How
much do they look at the quality of what their making or do they just mix stuff up from a
recipe?

This was allegedly Jessicas first time trying molly, however, it was one time too
many as it left her seizing on the sidewalk while waiting for a cab. Paramedics
arrived at the scene to perform CPR as she went into cardiac arrest. EMS Captain
Darren Noak:

NOAK 00:05:18(8) Youre playing Russian roulette with your life. The old adage the
caveat emptor, Buyer beware

When Jessica finally arrived at the hospital, she was put in a medically induced
coma as medical personnel tried to get her body temperature down from what was
at one point 106 degrees. Dr. Harris comments on the severity of increased body
temperature.

HARRIS 00:02:11 (13) This is the usual cause for overdose, death, from MDMA, is
elevation in body temperature that then causes multiple system failures

The brain can only function at a very precise temperature, and with a rise in
temperature like Jessicas, the brain overheats. It cannot regulate normal functions
such as muscle contraction, which affects heart rate leading to seizure and heart
attack.

Jessicas friends reported taking the same drug, but luckily their reactions werent
as severe. Parents and doctors like Paul John believe anyone with kids should talk to
them about the risks.

JOHN 00:06:12 (11) It seems like we can really make our kids afraid of it. Afraid of
dying, you know?

Jessica Hunter, daughter of Alan and Debbie Hunter, was put on a ventilator and
later had a brain hemorrhage. She passed early in the morning on October 8, three
days after taking molly.

Rachel Konig, The University of Texas at Austin