DEATH BLAMED ON DRUG.

Byline: Erik Nelson Staff Writer

An 18-year-old Sylmar woman died Sunday in a suspected case of ecstasy overdose after she was overcome at a Los Angeles rave party and then released after being treated at a downtown hospital, Los Angeles Police Department officials said.

Michelle Delatoba attended a rave party in a parking lot at Second and Alameda streets when she became ill early Sunday after taking ecstasy, said Sgt. Mark Aragon. Delatoba was taken by her sister to Saint Vincent Medical Center, where she was treated and released about 3 a.m., Aragon said.

Leny Vida, a Saint Vincent's nursing supervisor, said she didn't remember seeing anyone by that name.

After returning home to Sylmar, her sister found Delatoba unconscious and took her to Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar, where she was pronounced dead about 5 p.m., Aragon said.

The cause of death is pending an autopsy, but police suspect that the popular party drug may have caused Delatoba's death.

``It's one of those unpredictable drugs that we don't know much about,'' Aragon said, adding that one of the ways the drug can be fatal is ``a combination of things, whether it be alcohol or drugs or just some medical condition.''