A Kelowna, B.C. teen who died after taking what she believed was ecstasy had actually ingested heroin, police say.

Marissa Ginter was out with friends Thursday night when the group reportedly ran into someone who said he had samples of ecstasy. He offered the teens plastic baggies containing pinches of powder.

All of them became ill after taking the powder, but Ginter, 17, died during the night.

The B.C. Coroner Service has conducted an autopsy on Ginter's body but has yet to release any information about her death.

The death came just hours before police issued a warning about tainted party drugs circulating in the Okanagan Valley city. Kelowna RCMP said it was aware of three Kelowna teens who had taken ecstasy, also known as MDMA, and became ill with stabbing abdominal pains, chronic vomiting and itching.

Police added they have since received information that there have been others who have had similar experiences after consuming street drugs.

The RCMP reminded drug users that ecstasy is made in underground labs that have no quality control. Various chemicals are used and each batch can vary in composition, potency and toxicity.

“You can never really know exactly what is in street drugs, and something that is being sold under one name could be something else entirely,” a police statement said. “Drug dealers are only in it for the profit and don't care about the health or well-being of their clients.”

Fellow teens who knew Ginter say her death has been a wake-up call.

Dusty Knorr, who went to school with Ginter, told CTV British Columbia he has friends who also became ill and may have taken the same drug that appears to have killed Ginter.

“They didn’t die, but they were in pretty rough shape, like, puking and whatnot,” he said.

“As soon as I heard that Marissa passed away, I immediately thought: I’ve got to be extra careful now. Or just steer clear of it altogether.”

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Kent Molgat