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. 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. 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. A 19-year-old Lyon College student was found dead in his dorm on Saturday, Jan. 30, according to police. All rights reserved. Get up-to-date local and regional news/weather every weekday morning and afternoon from theFirst Community BankNewsroom onArkansas 103.3. 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. An autopsy showed Gilfedder's blood alcohol content was 0.357% and that the cause of his death was acute alcohol intoxication. 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. He only drank a fifth of vodka that would not kill my son, she told KATV. Cabrales-Arzola allegedly responded Yes. went to a party with the schools baseball team prior to his death. James and Nikki Gilfedder had no idea when they dropped their 19-year-old son off in Batesville two weeks ago that it would be the last time they saw him alive. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner saidadditional information and/or testing is needed before authorities can determine a cause or manner of death for Christy Giles. 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. Spice up your get-togethers with these top 27 fresh college party themes full of dancing, fun activities, and stunning photos for Instagram. Stone Foltz, 20, of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, died after drinking. Copyright 2021 TFNL Group. Email White River Now atnews@whiterivernow.com. They dont have one person in jail right now. Lyon College declined to comment Friday, citing pending litigation. Investigators say they have identified three persons of interest, but there were no signs of foul play at the scene. 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. The parents traveled to Arkansas from California this week to learn about. A medicolegal autopsy differs from a hospital autopsy. 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California was attending Lyon College to play first base on the men's baseball team. Here's the list! For information from local physicians about COVID-19 vaccines,click here. Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 2023 Hank Nuwer Unofficial Hazing Clearinghouse. Click below for more info from White River Now. Police are Investigating the On-Campus Shooting Death of a UArizona Sophomore as a Homicide. He also won third place for the column in 2022 from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The Gilfedders were especially saddened to learn the circumstances surrounding their son's death. https://www.kait8.com/2021/02/05/report-family-lyon-college-student-suspects-foul-play-death/. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 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. All rights reserved. Police say three people of interest have been developed, after interviews were conducted by police on student athletes at Lyon College. 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. As a journalist, hes written about the Alaskan Iditarod sled-dog race and other Alaska topics. The reality star, 42, cracked up as she joined departing . Have a news tip or event to promote? Streaming Stations: Click to open player flyout to access more . The resident assistant did not check on him again that night and found him dead the next day, according to the document. 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. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Staton Breidenthal). James and Nikki Gilfedder, the parents of the victim, spoke in an interview with KATV that aired on Thursday night. They have a game tomorrow and I have to go bury my son, James said. 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. 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. There are plenty of cheap colleges in the US here are the most affordable public and private ones. The resident assistant did not check on him again that night and found him dead the next day, according to the document. Please read our Terms of Use or contact us. 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. Lyon College declined to comment Friday, citing pending litigation. 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. Lyon College has not responded for comment yet. Choosing a college major is always tricky so which of the most expensive college majors are actually worth the investment? Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. The home is believed to have been partially owned by Lyon College's baseball coach Jacob Huffman, documents state. 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. 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.. Found deceased was 19-year-old James Gilfedder III of Yucaipa, Cal., a freshman on the Lyon College baseball team. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Another way to request for California Death Records is through online public databases. Yes, I think it was an initiation that went out of control, James said. 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 house was being rented by other members of the baseball team. 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. I mean he wasnt innocent, but that wouldnt have killed him. "Somebody did something. 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. Hank Nuwer Unofficial Hazing Clearinghouse, U.S. Hazing Deaths Database Part 1: 1838-1999, Hank Nuwer Author Page; Hazing Deaths Database. Cilliers said their iCloud account shows that no further messages were sent or checked from Giles phone. 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. Somebody hurt him. When the family arrived in Arkansas from California, they said the pieces didnt all match up. He and his wife Gosia, recently of Union City, Ind., have owned 20 acres in Alaska for many years. He has written articles or columns on hazing for the Sunday Times of India, Toronto Globe & Mail, Harper's Magazine, Orlando Sentinel, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Times Sunday Magazine. Sunday's cornhole tournament was all about celebrating his life and raising funds for the family. 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California was attending Lyon College to play first base on the men's baseball team. 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. I feel like I participated in his murder because I brought him here, James said. All rights reserved. Students claim they left Gilfedder passed out on the floor of his Lyon College dorm room around 2 a.m. Jan. 30, 2021. The family believes that Gilfedders death is the result of a hazing event that went wrong. An hour and a half later, it was determined that Gilfedder was unresponsive and students notified the resident assistant, the documents state. Autopsy results released for Lyon baseball player. Batesville police say he had last attended an off-campus party at a home rented by a few of his teammates. TCU Fraternity on Probation After Investigation Into Car Crash. BATESVILLE, Ark. Nuwer was named the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists columnist of the year in 2021 for his After Darke column in the Early Bird. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Lyon College Student Found Dead, Family Suspects Foul Play, A student at Lyon College in Arkansas, 19-year-old. James said his son hoped to bring the town of Batesville a championship. Email White River Now atnews@whiterivernow.com. While still waiting for the autopsy results, Gilfedders family suspects his death is the result of a hazing event gone wrong. 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. The home is believed to have been partially owned by Lyon College's baseball coach Jacob Huffman, documents state. The 27-page lawsuit says this is an action for injuries, conscious pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of life and wrongful death.. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed to People that the case is pending additional information and/or testing which has delayed Giles official cause and manner of death. Batesville police told KATVs content partner KAIT Region 8 News, that student-athletes were interviewed and there are three persons of interest. The third death, unconfirmed as a hazing but under review as toxicology reports are underway, involves the alcohol-related death of James Gilfedder, a baseball player at Lyon College in. (202) 351-0510 | 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. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Ill call an Uber. 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.. 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. 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. Somebody did something. After attending the party, where he consumed alcoholic beverages, he was found deceased, lying on the floor in his dorm room. The autopsy is designed to determine the cause of death, properly document findings, and collect evidence. Chief Cockrill said the victim was identified as James Aaron Gilfedder. In Arkansas, it is the public policy to protect minors as a special class of citizens from the adverse consequences of alcohol consumption, the lawsuit says. When reached for comment, Lyon College officials referred to its statement from January 2021 from then-President W. Joseph King about the situation. A student at Lyon College in Arkansas, 19-year-old James Gilfedder, was found dead inside his dorm room on Saturday. Example video title will go here for this video. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed to People that the case is . (877) WASH-DC-1, Free Phone Consultation