It's been four years since a Valley woman died after attending an Electronic Dance Music concert.
In a 12 News exclusive, her father is opening up about that tragic day.
Richard McCaughan says he had no idea bout the drug culture at EDM concerts. He's speaking out because he wants other parents to know what he didn't.
At 22 years old, Emily McCaughan was preparing for a life of giving back and helping those in need.
"She loved children. She loved old people. She loved the goodness of life," said Richard McCaughan.
Emily was a pre-med student at the University of Arizona, with dreams to do charitable medical work around the world.
But those dreams would never be realized.
A Scottsdale family's tragedy
“June the 11th, 2012,” her father said.
That was the day that forever changed this Scottsdale family’s life.
Emily was in Las Vegas with friends for a three-day Electronic Dance Music festival. Friends say she took ecstasy at the concert.
“Emily’s been in a horrible accident," Richard McCaughan said holding back tears. "My son came up behind me a little bit later after talking to his mother and he was bawling his eyes out."
Richard McCaughan has a clear memory of when he heard something had happened to Emily.
"He put his hand on me and I said, 'Don't say a word, don't say a word. I don't want to hear it. I know what happened,'" he said.
After returning to her hotel, apparently still under the influence of the drugs, Emily fell more than 20 stories to her death.
Richard McCaughan was told she was hallucinating that someone was chasing her.
“I just started praying that the accident wasn’t terminal,” he said.
This is the first time Richard McCaughan has spoken publicly about that horrible day four years ago. Though it still haunts him, he wants parents to know what he didn't when his daughter attended that concert.
The Electronic Dance Music scene
EDM, or Electronic Dance Music, is the fastest growing music genre, and EDM concerts have gone from the underground to the mainstream.
For concert goers, it's not just about the music. It’s about the experience. The beats. The lights. The crowds. The sensations.
But behind all the smoke and lights, many of those who attend are dancing to the beat in an altered state of mind. Molly, Ecstasy, Acid, synthetic drugs -- for some these are key to the EDM experience.
“I guess they’re easy to hide,” said 18-year-old Alana Selvaggio.
Selvaggio is deep in the EDM culture. She's attended dozens of concerts, but says she and her friends choose to stay sober because she’s seen the effects of the drugs.
“I’ve actually seen people fall and faint right in front of you from that and it’s terrifying," she said. "Like wow, that could happen to anybody here."
"Actually at Spring Awakening, someone actually died there from overdose,” said Selvaggio.
The headlines are scary:
- 2 overdose and die at an EDM concert in Pomona, California
- A 17 and 20-year-old overdose and die at a concert in Maryland
- 2 die of drugs at a festival in New York
- A 22-year-old dies of an ecstasy overdose in San Diego
Of the hundreds of thousands of people that attend EDM concerts, the number of people overdosing on drugs is low, but there's not denying that for some these drugs are part of the culture.
Experiencing an EDM concert first hand
There are EDM concerts every weekend in the Valley, some small, some large.
We wanted to see for ourselves what goes on. Photographer Nick Perez and I went to a recent concert in Phoenix.
It’s the first EDM concert I’ve ever been to and it was definitely an unforgettable experience.
When I walked through the gates, I could feel the beat drop. The ground was thumping. In one area, smoke filled the air. Someone told us that’s where people were smoking pot.
At the concert a few weeks ago, we saw people who were definitely under the influence, maybe from alcohol, maybe from drugs. The music and lights had them in a sort of trance. We saw a lot of people mesmerizing and touching each other.
Emergency medical responders staffed the first aid station, ready to respond to anyone in distress.
At one point, we watched an ambulance take someone away. One man told us it was for an overdose, but he wasn’t sure what drug she took.
Fortunately on this night, this was the most serious medical incident.
But as Richard McCaughan knows, not all concerts end with every concert goer making it home safely.
"Go to the concerts, love the music," McCaughan said. "It’s precious. It’s a gift. But they need to make sure that they understand that there are dangers out there and they need to stick together.”
“The ones that die are the ones that have the least experience, the most pure," he said. "They have no experience, so no defense.”
“Live your life to the fullest, you know, but be aware that there are dangers out there."