Funeral underway for ‘fun-loving’ Langley teen who died of suspected overdose

LANGLEY (NEWS 1130) – People in Langley will be coming together on Thursday to mourn and say goodbye to a 14-year-old boy whose apparent overdose was filmed and shared on social media three weeks ago.

The celebration of life for Carson Crimeni will take place at Church in the Valley, where the teen will be remembered as a “fun-loving jokester who loved to make everyone laugh.”

Carson would have been starting grade nine next week at Walnut Grove Secondary.

Three weeks after 14-year-old Carson Crimeni died from an apparent overdose that was filmed and shared on social media, people in Langley will be coming together to mourn and say goodbye.

A public funeral is set for today at Church in the Valley, which can seat over 1,000. pic.twitter.com/5DQQixmRNV

— Monika Gul (@MonikaGul) August 29, 2019

The tragic loss has shaken everyone, according to the Langley School District’s Joanne Abshire.

“Anytime we lose a student in one of our schools, the impact is far reaching,” she explains. “We have students and staff at that school community who are impacted and, really, it’s affecting the whole school district as well as the community.”

She adds counsellors will be on hand for the first few days of school to talk to anyone in need.

“Our priority is to respond to the needs of our staff and students, but we do acknowledge and want to say that our hearts go out to the family as well,” Abshire says, adding teachers are being briefed with whatever information is available from the RCMP.

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She notes a meeting was held a few days after Carson’s death with counsellors and community agencies.

“And we had about a dozen students come in to access the counselling support that was offered, as well as a few parents who came in just to access resources and to talk to community agency partners about talking to your kids about grief as well as substance abuse,” Abshire says.

The school district expects the need for support to be greater once school starts.

Crimeni would have begun Grade 9 next week at Walnut Grove Secondary.

"We have students and staff at that school community who are impacted," says Joanne Abshire at the Langley School District.

Counsellors will be on hand for the first days of school.

Details on @NEWS1130.

— Monika Gul (@MonikaGul) August 29, 2019

Carson’s Aug. 7 death is currently being investigated by both the RCMP and B.C.’s police watchdog.

According to the Independent Investigations Office, Mounties were called to the Walnut Grove Skatepark around 8:00 p.m. the night Carson died by someone who had apparently seen a Snapchat photo of him, and was concerned about his welfare.

The officers reportedly went to the park, were unable to find the teen, and left.

As the investigation continues, Mounties have set up a 24-hour tip line with the hopes that anyone who may have seen Carson in the hours before he died will call in.

Meantime, dozens of flowers still line the skate bowl at the park as part of a memorial for the teen, who had “dreams of becoming a veterinarian or chef,” according to an obituary published by his family last week.

More than two weeks after his death, flowers and lit candles remain at Walnut Grove Skatepark for 14-year-old Carson Crimeni.

We’re learning hours before the Langley boy’s death, police were called to check on him but couldn’t find him. @NEWS1130 pic.twitter.com/sG20iFZfg6

— Monika Gul (@MonikaGul) August 22, 2019

The service is expected to draw a large crowd — the church itself holds over 1,000 people, and each seat is expected to be taken.

Large numbers expected at funeral service, Aug 29th, Church in the Valley. Limited parking available, please consider car pooling. Thank you. Langley RCMP

— Langley RCMP (@LangleyRCMP) August 28, 2019

-With files from Mike Lloyd and The Canadian Press