Just after 12:30 pm Saturday afternoon, he was found unresponsive in his dorm room and later pronounced dead. He also won third place for the column in 2022 from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. (The) kids got alcohol, they got drugs at that house. Somebody killed him, Nikki Gilfedder, James mother, said. Has your state launched one yet? An hour and a half later, it was determined that Gilfedder was unresponsive and students notified the resident assistant, the documents state. Free community college programs have become more and more popular. Chief Cockrill said the victim was identified as James Aaron Gilfedder. To find out more about the aforementioned records, call the California Department of Public health at 916-445-2684. Police say three people of interest have been developed, after interviews were conducted by police on student athletes at Lyon College. Family of Lyon College student who died of alcohol poisoning files suit, Lawsuit filed against Summit Utilities over price gouging, NWS: EF-2 tornado confirmed in Arkansas storms, 2023 4A State Tournament: Blytheville boys beat Farmington, advance to state title game, Razorback signee Jenna Lawrence leads Farmington girls to 4A state title game, 2023 3A State Tournament: Manila boys beat Dumas, advance to state title game, 2023 6A State Tournament: Jonesboro boys beat Cabot, advance to state title game. LITTLE ROCK (KATV) James Gilfedder was supposed to be at Lyon College to play baseball, but instead, his life ended in tragedy after attending a party last weekend. Its destroyed our whole family. A 19-year-old Lyon College student was found dead in his dorm on Saturday, Jan. 30, according to police. Example video title will go here for this video. As a journalist, hes written about the Alaskan Iditarod sled-dog race and other Alaska topics. While still waiting for the autopsy results, Gilfedder's family suspects his death is the result of a hazing event gone wrong. Cabrales-Arzola allegedly responded Yes. Gilfedder was a freshman at the. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California was attending Lyon College to play first base on the men's baseball team. went to a party with the schools baseball team prior to his death. The family of a Lyon College freshman who died in January 2021 after what was believed to be a hazing incident involving large consumption of alcohol filed a negligence and wrongful death suit in . He was born in Palm Springs, California on July 19, 2001 to parents James II and Nicole Gilfedder. Oct. 1, 2021 - Due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department is enforcing strict health protocols to . Ive lost so much sleep. The autopsy for model Christy Giles is complete, but authorities are waiting for further testing to determine a cause and manner of death for the California model, whose lifeless body was dropped outside a Los Angeles hospital Saturday. Mystery continues to surround the model and aspiring actress death after the 24-year-old and her designer friend, Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, 26, were dropped at separate Los Angeles hospitals two hours apart after a night out with friends. Have a news tip or event to promote? James said his son hoped to bring the town of Batesville a championship. The family said that Rainwater Holt & Sexton to are set to represent them. On January 30th, 2021, while attending Lyon College (Bastesville, Arkansas) we learned of his tragic death. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. A college degree doesn't need to drain your finances. Email White River Now atnews@whiterivernow.com. The home is believed to have been partially owned by Lyon College's baseball coach Jacob Huffman, documents state. The Batesville Police Department arrived on the scene around 12:38 pm and began an investigation. For COVID-19 information from the Arkansas Department of Health,click here. Ive got all the messages that she exchanged with anybody else that night and she was texting Marcela, the girl that she was with, at 5:30 saying lets get out of here with a wide eye emoji, Cilliers said. Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. My son went through a lot of trauma. Yes, I think it was an initiation that went out of control, James said. (NWA Media). James Gilfedder was supposed to be at Lyon College to play baseball, but instead, his life ended in tragedy after attending a party last weekend. White River Now updates are also aired weekday mornings on93 KZLE,Outlaw 106.5, andYour FM 99.5. The autopsy is designed to determine the cause of death, properly document findings, and collect evidence. A student at Lyon College in Arkansas, 19-year-old James Gilfedder, was found dead inside his dorm room on Saturday. The person Gilfedder went to the party with said he fell asleep in the car on the way home from the party, court documents state. The College Post is part of Globe Post Media, a US digital news organization publishing the worlds best targeted news sites. The reality star, 42, cracked up as she joined departing . Batesville police told KATVs content partner KAIT Region 8 News, that student-athletes were interviewed and there are three persons of interest. Its a secret and these kids are being told to keep quiet. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill told White River Now the results from the Arkansas State Crime Labs autopsy on James Gilfedder were recently received. Police are Investigating the On-Campus Shooting Death of a UArizona Sophomore as a Homicide. The resident assistant did not check on him again that night and found him dead the next day, according to the document. 10 min away.. Between 2 - 2:30 a.m., freshmen friends took Gilfedder back to his dorm and set him up on a pallet located on the floor because Gilfedder didn't want to sleep in his bed, reports say. According to Chief Alan Cockrill with the Batesville Police Department, a 19-year-old Lyon College student was found dead in his dorm on Saturday, Jan. 30. Somebody hurt him. Somebody killed him. Looking for James Gilfedder online? Click below for more info from White River Now. According to Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill, around 12:38 p.m. Saturday, the department was dispatched to the Lyon. At the time of Gilfedder's death, the president of the. Im just sick to my stomach. The lawsuit requests compensation for the loss of life, conscious pain and suffering of the deceased prior to death, funeral expenses, and the mental anguish and pecuniary damage of the surviving estate and to recover damages and judgment against the defendants. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. A primary objective is to try to reconstruct the circumstances and events that led to the death so that a mode (natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined) can be established. More information has been released in the death of a Lyon College student found over the weekend on campus. The home is believed to have been partially owned by Lyon College's baseball coach Jacob Huffman, documents state. Officers and emergency medical services arrived on scene and pronounced 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California dead at the scene, according to Cockrill. Students said they left Gilfedder passed out on the floor of his Lyon College dorm room around 2 a.m. Jan. 30, 2021. The two friends had reportedly gone to a warehouse party in Los Angeles on Friday night when Cabrales-Arzola met a guy, who invited her to an after party in the Hollywood Hills, KTLA reports. Just after 12:30 pm Saturday afternoon, he was found unresponsive in his dorm room and later pronounced dead. Somebody hurt him. All rights reserved. According to Cilliers, Cabrales-Arzola toxicology reports revealed that she had heroin in her system but he told KABC that was nothing that either of those girls would ever do, not voluntarily.. Get up-to-date local and regional news along with the latest sports and weather every weekday morning and afternoon from theFirst Community BankNewsroom onArkansas 103.3. According to documents, James Gilfedder III, 19, was invited to an off-campus party Jan. 29, 2021, at a home in Batesville that was being rented by another baseball player. The best part-time jobs for college students will beef up your resume (and, more importantly, your wallet) without sacrificing your grades. Therefore, a person or entity can be held liable for providing alcohol to a minor for damages sustained by the intoxicated minor.. The documents say the college and the coach were aware of the hazing of new teammates, including Gilfedder. Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/103.0.5060.114 Safari/537.36, Cedar Ridge to face Earle after win over Ozark Mountain; Pink Out tonight, Flood warning issued until late Monday for Independence County. Students reportedly checked on Gilfedder twice the next morning, at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., and said they observed him on the floor and believed he was asleep, according to the court filing. The Gilfedder family is also asking Lyon, Huffman and Huffmania Ventures to respond to the lawsuit within 30 days. Batesville police say he had last attended an off-campus party at a home rented by a few of his teammates. The family got a call from Batesville police on Saturday that their son had died after going to a party with the baseball team. Journalist Hank Nuwer is the Alaska author of Hazing: Destroying Young Lives; Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing, High School Hazing, Wrongs of Passage and The Hazing Reader. Students reportedly checked on him twice the next morning, at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., saying they observed him on the floor and believed he was asleep. Somebody reach out to us and tell us what happened, tell us what happened, Nikki said. James Gilfedder was supposed to be at Lyon College to play baseball, but instead, his life ended in tragedy after attending a party last weekend. The home is believed. Print Headline: Family sues in student's death. Investigators noted that the social gathering took place at a residence on Boles Street owned by Huffmania Ventures, LLC which was co-owned by one of the baseball coaches. According to the documents, James Gilfedder III was 19 years old when he was invited to a party off-campus on Jan. 29, 2021, at a home in Batesville that was being rented by another baseball player. The filing requests compensation for the loss of life, conscious pain and suffering of the deceased prior to death, funeral expenses, and the mental anguish and pecuniary damage of the surviving estate and to recover damages and judgment against the defendants. Lyon College declined to comment Friday, citing pending litigation. Free Phone Consultation Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill told KATV that Gilfedder went to a party with the schools baseball team prior to his death. inside his dorm room on Saturday. At the time of Gilfedders death, the president of the college shared a news release confirming the death, and confirmed the college was cooperating with the police department. The autopsy for model Christy Giles is complete, but authorities are waiting for further testing to determine a cause and manner of death for the California model, whose lifeless body was dropped outside a Los Angeles hospital Saturday. Batesville police say he had last attended an off-campus party at a home rented by a few of his teammates. The person Gilfedder went to the party with said he fell asleep in the car on the way home from the party, court documents state. But Giles mother, Dusty Giles, told KABC from her home in Alabama that the Uber driver waited, but no one ever came out of the apartment. Website design and development by Legendary Lion Creative Agency. The documents do not specify a quantity or a time frame of the incident in question. "Somebody did something. The family is asking anyone with information about what happened to come forward. Somebody hurt him. The attorney for the Gilfedder family, Denise Reid Hoggard of Little Rock and Tony L. Wilcox and Chris A. Averitt of Jonesboro, allege that Lyon College and Huffman knew the baseball team was engaged in hazing new players like Gilfedder and had a right to protect those college students. On Saturday, around 12:30 p.m., a friend went to check on Gilfedder, but found him dead in the same spot he was left. KATV reached out to Batesville police and they said no new information would come out until the autopsy was complete. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. This is a difficult time with an enormous disruption and I promise you that we will come together as a community to appropriately mourn this loss, the statement noted. The family of a Lyon College freshman who died in January 2021 after what was believed to be a hazing incident involving large consumption of alcohol filed a negligence and wrongful-death suit in court Thursday. Found deceased was 19-year-old James Gilfedder III of Yucaipa, Cal., a freshman on the Lyon College baseball team. All rights reserved. Cilliers said their iCloud account shows that no further messages were sent or checked from Giles phone. Lyon College has not responded for comment yet. Here are 67 side hustles perfect for hard-working college students with tight student budgets! KATV asked James if he believed it was a hazing event. Officers and emergency medical services arrived on scene and pronounced 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California dead at the scene, according to Cockrill. Autopsy results released for Lyon baseball player. BATESVILLE, Ark. A web design company. Stone Foltz, 20, of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, died after drinking. I havent been able to sleep. After attending the party, where he consumed alcoholic beverages, he was found deceased, lying on the floor in his dorm room. He only drank a fifth of vodka that would not kill my son, she told KATV. While still waiting for the autopsy results, Gilfedders family suspects his death is the result of a hazing event gone wrong. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. The home is believed to have been partially owned by Lyon College's baseball coach Jacob Huffman, documents state. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Media said the house where he parties was owned by an assistant coach. A 19-year-old Lyon College student was found dead in his dorm on Saturday, Jan. 30, according to police. Somebody hurt him. He and his wife Gosia, recently of Union City, Ind., have owned 20 acres in Alaska for many years. The family believes that Gilfedders death is the result of a hazing event that went wrong. He had a lot of trauma on his face and all over his body and we knew that there was a different story, James said. Authorities say they conducted multiple interviews with student-athletes at Lyon College, it was determined the victim had attended an off-campus party where drinking was involved the evening before he was found deceased. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed to People that the case is . Learn how your comment data is processed. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! According to Cockrill, multiple interviews with Lyon College athletes have been conducted so far in the course of the investigation Increase the Penalties for Hazing and End the Culture That Took My Sons Life, Six Years After Hazing Death of Timothy Piazza, Penn State Plans to Drop the Greek Life Oversight It Championed, WSU Students Death Ruled Suicide as Family Says Hazing Left Him At His Breaking Point, Hazing Injury and Death Attorneys in Michigan, Legal Advice For Hazing in Intermediate and High Schools, School and Workplace Shooting Victim Lawyer. BATESVILLE, Ark. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. . Various underage baseball and softball players were present and drinking alcohol at the party, and Gilfedder became visibly intoxicated after being supplied with alcohol, which the coach witnessed, the filing states. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. His new book is Hazing: Destroying Young Lives from Indiana University Press. Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_6) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/15.5 Safari/605.1.15, Cedar Ridge to face Earle after win over Ozark Mountain; Pink Out tonight, Flood warning issued until late Monday for Independence County. Found deceased was 19-year-old James Gilfedder III of Yucaipa, Cal., a freshman on the Lyon College baseball team. Cockrill said the teen was pronounced dead at the scene. The college said it provided counseling to students after the death and would work to help people impacted by the death. "Gilly" was a kind and charismatic young man who was a team favorite and genuine friend to many. (202) 351-0510 | The 27-page lawsuit says this is an action for injuries, conscious pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of life and wrongful death.. The family of James Gilfedder III filed suit Thursday, Jan. 27 in Independence County Circuit Court against Lyon College, Huffmania Ventures, LLC, Jacob Huffman (a pitching coach at Lyon College), five John Doe Insurance Companies and 10 John Does in the case. He only drank a fifth of vodka that would not kill my son, Nikki said. Streaming Stations: Click to open player flyout to access more . According to the documents, the hazing included, but was not limited to, causing the student to drink massive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. The documents do not specify a quantity or a time frame of the incident in question. The documents do not specify a quantity or a time frame of the incident in question. They are doing the code of silence. With no formal autopsy result to determine what happened, , the victims mother, is suggesting that something more sinister is at play because the information presented to them didnt all match up., Somebody did something. While local media outlets have suggested that police believe Giles may have died from a possible overdose, a spokesperson with the Los Angeles Police Department would not confirm that to Oxygen.com and said the investigation was ongoing. At the party, various underage baseball and softball players were present and drinking alcohol, and Gilfedder was supplied with alcohol and quickly became visibly intoxicated, which the coach witnessed, the filing alleges. Nuwer, former columnist for the Greenville (Ohio)Early Bird, finished a stint as managing editor of the Celina Daily Standard to accept a new position as managing editor of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in Alaska. Police in Batesville have now released the name of the person found dead in a dorm room at Lyon College this weekend. We were hoping because it was a dry county, no alcohol, that things were going to be good, Nikki said. He only drank a fifth of vodka that would not kill my son, she, Virginia House Bill to Offer Scholarships to Descendants of Enslaved Workers, United Steelworkers Call Out University of Pittsburgh Anti-Union Efforts, 26 Best Part-Time Jobs for College Students to Earn Extra Cash, 15 Most Expensive College Majors (And If Theyre Worth It), Top 27 College Party Themes for a Night to Remember, Is Community College Free? The California kid was dubbed Big Country by all his friends for wearing a cowboy hat and driving a large truck. The house was being rented by other members of the baseball team. Lyon College declined to comment Friday, citing pending litigation. I mean he wasnt innocent, but that wouldnt have killed him. The bruised body of James Gilfedder is undergoing an autopsy at this time while his teammates continue to play. An autopsy showed Gilfedder's blood alcohol content was 0.357% and that the cause of his death was acute alcohol intoxication. The suit does not cite a specific monetary figure. (877) WASH-DC-1, Free Phone Consultation Cabrales-Arzola was left two hours later at a Kaiser Permanente hospital in West Los Angeles, where she was in critical condition, according to KABC. "He only drank a fifth of vodka; that would not kill my son." Have a news tip or event to promote? Mystery continues to surround the model and aspiring actress death after the 24-year-old and her designer friend, Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, 26. The suit alleges Gilfedders death could have been part of a hazing on the night in question (Jan. 30, 2021), causing him to drink a massive amount of alcohol in a very short period of time, the suit said. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Staton Breidenthal). According to documents, James Gilfedder III, 19, was invited to an off-campus party Jan. 29, 2021, at a home in Batesville that was being rented by another baseball player. Gilfedder died in early 2021 after he was found dead in his dorm room. With no formal autopsy result to determine what happened, Nikki Gilfedder, the victims mother, is suggesting that something more sinister is at play because the information presented to them didnt all match up.. LITTLE ROCK (KATV) The Batesville Police Department has identified a Lyon College student that was found dead in his dorm room over the weekend. of Little Rock, and Wilcox & Averitt, PLC of Jonesboro. According to the documents, the hazing included, but was not limited to, causing the student to drink "massive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time." In These 19 States, Yes, 67 Top Side Hustles for College Students to Make Fast Cash, These Are the Cheapest Colleges in the US. March 15, 2022 - The Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner will be hosting a table at the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology's (USCAP) annual conference to promote it's Forensic Pathology Fellowship. These boys are out here playing baseball. The lawsuit requests compensation for the loss of life, conscious pain and suffering of the deceased prior to death, funeral expenses, and the mental anguish and pecuniary damage of the surviving estate and to recover damages and judgment against the defendants. Pullman Police Chief Jenkins drops the ball in Big-Little death. There are plenty of cheap colleges in the US here are the most affordable public and private ones. "It means a lot to us that our daughter touched so many in her short, but yet wonderful, extraordinary life," she said. The resident assistant did not check on him again that night and found him dead the next day, according to the document. https://www.kait8.com/2021/02/05/report-family-lyon-college-student-suspects-foul-play-death/. And dont forget to download the White River Now mobile app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Students claim they left Gilfedder passed out on the floor of his Lyon College dorm room around 2 a.m. Jan. 30, 2021. Who can say no to quick money? The autopsy results said Gilfedder died from alcohol intoxication an accidental death. The parents traveled to Arkansas from California this week to learn about. The police have notified the family of the incident and are waiting for the results of the autopsy before handing over their evidence to the prosecutor. And dont forget to download the White River Now mobile app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Batesville police confirmed the party was held at a home partially owned by a baseball coach at Lyon College and all the renters are baseball players there. The family of a Lyon College freshman who died in January 2021 after what was believed to be a hazing incident involving large consumption of alcohol filed a negligence and wrongful death suit in court Thursday. An autopsy showed that Gilfedders blood alcohol content was .357% and that the cause of his death was acute alcohol intoxication. However, no proof of foul play has been confirmed as of now, since Batesville police and Lyon College have not released any new information. The lawsuit said the 27-page filing was an action for injuries suffered, conscious pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of life, and wrongful death. The lawsuit was filed by the family of Gilfedder naming as defendants: Lyon College; the property owner where the party was held, Huffmania Ventures, LLC; the baseball pitching coach at Lyon College and alleged part-owner of the company who owned the house where the party was held, Jacob Huffman; five John Doe insurance companies; and 10 John Does in the case. The Gilfedders were especially saddened to learn the circumstances surrounding their son's death. A medicolegal autopsy differs from a hospital autopsy. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. Somebody did something. The resident assistant did not check on him again that night and found him dead the next day, according to the document. Gilfedder had attended a pre-season party at a house on Boles Street in east Batesville, near the Lyon College campus. The two friends had reportedly gone to a warehouse party in Los Angeles on Friday night when Cabrales-Arzola met a guy, who invited her to an after party in the Hollywood Hills, Giles husband Jan Cilliers believes the two women may have meet with foul play after looking through his wifes final text messages and finding the last text she sent was to Cabrales-Arzola around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, suggesting that they leave, according to, While local media outlets have suggested that police believe Giles may have died from a possible overdose, a spokesperson with the Los Angeles Police Department would not confirm that to. Gilfedder died in early 2021 after he was found dead in his dorm room. Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill said an autopsy showed Gilfedder died of severe alcohol intoxication and that the. Region 8 News will have more details as they become available. He died in a dorm. Investigators noted that the social gathering took place at a residence on Boles Street owned by Huffmania Ventures, LLC which was co-owned by one of the baseball coaches. The lawsuit said the autopsy revealed the blood alcohol content of Gilfedder was .357% and the cause of death was acute alcohol intoxication.. An hour and a half later, it was determined that Gilfedder was unresponsive and he was blue and purple in color, so students notified the resident assistant, the documents state. Somebody did something. (KAIT) - The family of a California teenager who died of alcohol poisoning while a student at Lyon College has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the college, according to court records. Gilfedder was a freshman at the. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Lyon College, coach accused of negligence in 21 incident, The Lyon Building on the Lyon College campus in Batesville is shown in this December 2005 file photo. James Gilfedder, 19, of Lyon College in Arkansas was found dead in his dorm room from alcohol intoxication. Nuwer was named the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists columnist of the year in 2021 for his After Darke column in the Early Bird. Read his musings in his column "Golden Heart Tales" in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. The family said they havent received many answers. The home is believed to have been partially owned by Lyon College's baseball coach Jacob Huffman, documents state. I am deeply saddened to share that this morning, one of our students passed away. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 2023 Hank Nuwer Unofficial Hazing Clearinghouse. For information from local physicians about COVID-19 vaccines,click here. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.