Medical examiners could not determine what caused a 17-year-old Chapel Hill football player to die unexpectedly last August.
The autopsy released Wednesday for Chapel Hill High School senior Atlas Fraley leaves many questions unanswered.
Fraley died Aug. 12 after complaining of a headache at a scrimmage and then calling 911" saying his whole body hurt.
Emergency Medical Services responded and left after they ""advised him in regard to adequate hydration"" the autopsy says.
They did not notify his parents, who found him on the floor surrounded by bottles of water and Gatorade, the autopsy says.
County officials referred all questions to County Manager Laura Blackmon. Multiple calls to Blackmon were not returned.
Donald Strickland, the family's attorney, released a statement that asks whether Fraley would have survived had he been hospitalized.
We will continue our investigation into the tragic death of this fine young man"" the statement says.
‘No definite explanation'
The autopsy states that most of Fraley's organs were normal. His lungs were mildly inflated.
Dr. John Butts, the state's chief medical examiner, wrote no definite explanation for this young man's death is evident.""
The medical examiner's office would not comment on the case. Other experts say it is rare to not be able to determine a cause of death.
""Seventeen-year-old athletes do not die of natural causes"" said Kevin Guskiewicz, UNC's chairman of exercise and sports science.
Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the NYC Medical Examiner's Office, said sometimes examiners list an undetermined cause of death when evidence can't fully support a hypothesis.
Fraley had a history of asthma and cramping, including an incident a year before in which he was treated with intravenous fluids.
In the autopsy, Butts proposed several possible explanations of what led to Fraley's death, including that he might not have drank sufficient fluids that day.
Butts also suggests an acute asthmatic attack or a cardiac event could have led to the death.
Dr. Cam Patterson, UNC's chief of cardiology, said it would be exceedingly unlikely"" for someone with no detectable heart problems to die of a cardiac attack.
County won't release results
After Fraley's death" county and state responders and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools announced investigations into the treatment Fraley received.
Those investigations were said to be waiting on the autopsy's release for completion. Autopsies typically take 60 to 90 days to complete — Fraley's took 7 months.
Wednesday the county said it would not release a completed peer review of the paramedic's actions.
The county cited personnel and medical privacy laws as their reasons for withholding the review.
The press release does not say whether any policy changes resulted from Fraley's death. Changes would not be subject to privacy laws.
Stephanie Knott the schools spokeswoman said their attorney's investigation is expected soon.
The state EMS report also was waiting on the autopsy. That report will go to a disciplinary committee to decide any action to be taken against the treating paramedic said Chief Drexdal Pratt said.
Senior writer Sarah Frier contributed reporting.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
