Festival goer who died at Northants rave not local, say police

The woman in her 20s died after falling ill at the Illusive Festival held near Corby at the weekend.

Photo by Aditya Chinchure on Unsplash

The festival goer who died at a dance festival near Corby, did not live in the county police have confirmed.

The county’s police force is carrying out an investigation into what happened at the Illusive Festival held at Deene Park near Weldon at the weekend, after the woman in her 20s died after falling ill, with another man in hospital in a critical condition. Two other women also received hospital treatment.

Police suspect the health incidents could be linked to illegal drugs and are working with the county’s public health team and the combatting drugs partnership to investigate where they may have been supplied from.

The dead woman has not been named and police have said they do not routinely make public the name of someone who has died suddenly.

Police confirmed to NN Journal that the man who is receiving hospital treatment is from Northamptonshire, but are unsure whether he and the woman who died were known to each other.

They said:

“We don’t know if this is the case yet as we haven’t been able to speak to the man due to his condition in hospital.”

A man aged 24 has been arrested on drug related charges, and police say he is not from Northants.

Asked if the authorities feared other people in Northants may be at risk from the drugs, that may have been taken by those who fell ill, the response was, yes. 

The area’s public health director Jane Bethea has warned people to stay away from using banned substance.

She said:

“We would always advise against the use of illicit drugs. Nobody can be sure what is in the drugs that they buy, or the effect the drug might have on them. We also advise that if you have taken an illicit drug and feel unwell, that you seek medical help and call 999 if you feel you need urgent medical assistance.

“If you are worried about your drug use, and would like support, help is available.”

Large numbers attended the three day party which started on Friday. It is the last ever Illusive Festival after it was founded a decade ago out of the underground rave scene.