Organizers of a "safe ride" program that operated in Whitehorse last spring say the recent death of a Whitehorse teen shows the need for a permanent service.

The body of 15-year-old Tora-Lee Williams was found two weeks ago in a yard in the city's Kopper King subdivision.

Williams had been walking home from a party downtown.

Kwanlin Dun outreach nurse Christina Sim said a week-long experiment last spring demonstrated support for the idea of a safe ride program.

"I think there's a need certainly to make sure that youth have options for safe rides home. How that looks in the end, I can't speak to, but in terms of safety planning I think it's really important," said Sim.

"A lot of families already do it, but just reminding youth that if they do find themselves in a situation where they need to get home safely, that hopefully there's one or two people that they can phone that can do so."

Sim said that with the arrival of cold weather, it would be nice to have a free ride program again.

She said many of the young people who used the service last spring had used alcohol and were worried about their safety.

Toxicology tests and autopsy results for Williams have been ordered to learn more about how the teen died.

Foul play is not suspected.