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. Gilfedder died in early 2021 after he was found dead in his dorm room. 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. All rights reserved. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. KATV asked James if he believed it was a hazing event. Learn how your comment data is processed. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.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. Ill call an Uber. All rights reserved. The Batesville Police Department arrived on the scene around 12:38 pm and began an investigation. Gilfedder, a freshman student-athlete at Lyon College, was found dead in his dorm room earlier this year. Email White River Now atnews@whiterivernow.com. . Somebody hurt him. Somebody hurt him. Copyright 2022 KAIT. Please read our Terms of Use or contact us. Somebody hurt him. 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 hour and a half later, it was determined that Gilfedder was unresponsive and students notified the resident assistant, the documents state. Chief Cockrill said the victim was identified as James Aaron Gilfedder. 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. Stone Foltz, 20, of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, died after drinking. 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 did something. Its destroyed our whole family. BATESVILLE, Ark. And dont forget to download the White River Now mobile app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed to People that the case is . My son went through a lot of trauma. Now the family is left with just their memories, anger and so many questions. Click to open player flyout to access more features. When people finally see and hear about this evidence this town is going to be furious and disgusted, Gilfedder said. Somebody killed him, Nikki Gilfedder, James mother, said. After attending the party, where he consumed alcoholic beverages, he was found deceased, lying on the floor in his dorm room. The best part-time jobs for college students will beef up your resume (and, more importantly, your wallet) without sacrificing your grades. 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. Students said they left Gilfedder passed out on the floor of his Lyon College dorm room around 2 a.m. Jan. 30, 2021. Somebody hurt him. Lyon College declined to comment Friday, citing pending litigation. 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. 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 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. The documents do not specify a quantity or a time frame of the incident in question. An autopsy showed Gilfedder's blood alcohol content was 0.357% and that the cause of his death was acute alcohol intoxication. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. A college degree doesn't need to drain your finances. 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. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Somebody killed him," Nikki Gilfedder, James' mother, said. The younger James Gilfedder, who was 19, died Jan. 30 after attending a party with the Lyon College baseball team. Investigators say they have identified three persons of interest, but there were no signs of foul play at the scene. According to Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill, around 12:38 p.m. Saturday, the department was dispatched to the Lyon. Click below for more info from White River Now. The College Post is part of Globe Post Media, a US digital news organization publishing the worlds best targeted news sites. "It means a lot to us that our daughter touched so many in her short, but yet wonderful, extraordinary life," she said. He also won third place for the column in 2022 from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Staton Breidenthal). 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. 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. LITTLE ROCK (KATV) The Batesville Police Department has identified a Lyon College student that was found dead in his dorm room over the weekend. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The family believes that Gilfedders death is the result of a hazing event that went wrong. Mystery continues to surround the model and aspiring actress death after the 24-year-old and her designer friend, Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, 26. Model Christy Giles Is Dead And Family Suspects Foul Play, A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed to. 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. 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. 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. For information from local physicians about COVID-19 vaccines,click here. An hour and a half later, it was determined that Gilfedder was unresponsive and students notified the resident assistant, the documents state. Looking for James Gilfedder online? To make an online request for the death record you need, go to the website of Vitalcheck and follow the instructions stated there. 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. Get up-to-date local and regional news/weather every weekday morning and afternoon from theFirst Community BankNewsroom onArkansas 103.3. Batesville police say he had last attended an off-campus party at a home rented by a few of his teammates. James Gilfedder, 19, of California was found unresponsive on Saturday around 12:38 p.m. according to Cockrill's statement. The autopsy results said Gilfedder died from alcohol intoxication an accidental death. Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill said an autopsy showed Gilfedder died of severe alcohol intoxication and that the death was ruled as accidental. 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 feel like I participated in his murder because I brought him here, James said. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Staton Breidenthal). Police are Investigating the On-Campus Shooting Death of a UArizona Sophomore as a Homicide. Autopsy results released for Lyon baseball player. 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. A medicolegal autopsy differs from a hospital autopsy. The house was being rented by other members of the baseball team. 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." I am deeply saddened to share that this morning, one of our students passed away. 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. 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. They dont have one person in jail right now. 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. The parents traveled to Arkansas from California this week to learn about. Website design and development by Legendary Lion Creative Agency. 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. 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. Lyon College said Friday that the institution cannot comment on pending litigation. His new book is Hazing: Destroying Young Lives from Indiana University Press. 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. He is married to Malgorzata Wroblewska Nuwer of Warsaw, Poland and Fairbanks, Alaska. 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. Investigators are waiting on autopsy results before submitting their evidence to the prosecutor for possible charges. (877) WASH-DC-1, Free Phone Consultation There are plenty of cheap colleges in the US here are the most affordable public and private ones. Cilliers said their iCloud account shows that no further messages were sent or checked from Giles phone. The move is a sort-of coming home for us, said Nuwer. They have a game tomorrow and I have to go bury my son, James said. Batesville police say he had last attended an off-campus party at a home rented by a few of his teammates. "He only drank a fifth of vodka; that would not kill my son." Who can say no to quick money? Police said Gilfedder had attended an off-campus party at a residence partially owned by a baseball coach and where several members of the baseball team lived. Find Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok profiles, images and more on IDCrawl - free people search website. The autopsy is designed to determine the cause of death, properly document findings, and collect evidence. He wanted to be a doctor or (a) professional baseball player, Nikki said. Students said they left Gilfedder passed out on the floor of his Lyon College dorm room around 2 a.m. Jan. 30, 2021. BATESVILLE, Ark. The resident assistant did not check on him again that night and found him dead the next day, according to the document. Sunday's cornhole tournament was all about celebrating his life and raising funds for the family. 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 . All rights reserved. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Ive lost so much sleep. James and Nikki Gilfedder, the parents of the victim, spoke in an interview with KATV that aired on Thursday night. They are doing the code of silence. Gilfedder had attended a pre-season party at a house on Boles Street in east Batesville, near the Lyon College campus. He only drank a fifth of vodka that would not kill my son, she told KATV. Have a news tip or event to promote? Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill said the. went to a party with the schools baseball team prior to his death. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. According to Cockrill, multiple interviews with Lyon College athletes have been conducted so far in the course of the investigation Somebody did something. I mean he wasnt innocent, but that wouldnt have killed him. (202) 351-0510 | In These 19 States, Yes, 67 Top Side Hustles for College Students to Make Fast Cash, These Are the Cheapest Colleges in the US. The documents say the college and the coach were aware of the hazing of new teammates, including Gilfedder. Found deceased was 19-year-old James Gilfedder III of Yucaipa, Cal., a freshman on the Lyon College baseball team. The resident assistant did not check on him again that night and found him dead the next day, according to the document. 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 documents say the college and the coach were aware of the hazing of new teammates, including Gilfedder. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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. 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. Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill said an autopsy showed Gilfedder died of severe alcohol intoxication and that the.