Dakota Johnson, 16, Suspected Alcohol Death

Dakota Johnson was a football player on Elgin (Oklahoma) High school team, the Owls.  Homecoming was Saturday, October 6, 2007, and the team scored a big victory. Sunday morning, Johnson was found unresponsive in his driveway.

As always, my deepest condolences to his family and friends.

From http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=7196678

The Chief of Police in Elgin is looking into whether or not the death of an Elgin High School student was alcohol related.  Police say 16 year old Dakota Johnson was unresponsive when he was found lying on his back in his yard early Sunday morning.  Despite attempts by first responders to save him, he was later pronounced dead at Reynolds Army Hospital.  7News has learned more about Johnson's final hours.

The medical examiner has not officially reported how the teen died.  He says it will be at least a couple of more weeks before toxicology tests are complete.  Elgin Police are waiting on the report, but aren't wasting any time investigating how Johnson died.

Based on preliminary reports, what was supposed to be a happy weekend for the Elgin Owls, following a big homecoming victory, turned into a time of mourning - all within 48 hours.  Police Chief Carl Bremenkamp says sophomore Dakota Johnson was told by a doctor at Reynolds Army Hospital that it appeared that the teen had suffered cardiac arrest and alcohol poisoning.  "That's what the doctor stated was the probable, probable cause of death," said Bremenkamp.

Since that time, Bremenkamp has been retracing Johnson's footsteps; he's investigating allegations that Johnson and other students attended a party Saturday night where they drank alcohol.  He's also looking into whether he drank more at his home after his mother picked him up from the party.  So far, the chief says information from Dakota's friends has been hard to come by.

"They're not telling me nothing to be honest with you.  They're afraid of snitching each other out," says Bremenkamp.  "I'm sure they are [worried about how Johnson died], they're just not telling us right now I think down the road and give them some time to get over the shock, the mourning period, I think they will come around and talk to us."

But, until then, all the chief can do is continue asking the tough questions and wait for science to provide answers if no one else will.  And, if it turns out alcohol did play a role in Dakota Johnson's death, the chief says he wants to know where the alcohol came from.  He says he's already met with the District Attorney and the ABLE Commission to get some advice on the investigation.

From http://www.koco.com/news/14326461/detail.html

ELGIN, Okla. -- Sophomore members of the Elgin High School football team will start in Friday night's game against Santa Fe South High School in honor of a teammate who died.

Ten underclassmen will take the field in a tribute to Dakota Johnson, 16, who died after he was found facedown in his yard on Sunday.

One position will be left open for Johnson, who played in the team's 28-7 homecoming win over Cache last Friday, officials said. Click here to find out more!

After the first play against the Oklahoma City school, the team will call a timeout for a moment of silence.

Nearly 1,000 people filled the high school gymnasium Thursday for Johnson's funeral.

"He was a great kid, a good student, a good athlete, a good citizen and a wonderful young man," said Tom Crimmins, Elgin school superintendent.

Investigators are trying to determine what caused the death.

Johnson's mother called paramedics after she found her son face-down in the back yard and unconscious. He was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital at Fort Sill, said Elgin Police Chief Carl Bremenkamp.

An autopsy has been performed, but the cause of death is pending the outcome of toxicology screenings, the state medical examiner's office said.

Bremenkamp said he expects to begin interviewing Johnson's family and classmates in the next few days to aid in the investigation.

Word of Johnson's death spread quickly Sunday morning as students text messaged each other and school administrators prepared to help students deal with grief.

By Sunday afternoon, teachers had opened up the high school for grieving students to gather, Crimmins said.

"Our kids have been struggling all week," Crimmins said. "'Devastating' would be the word that I would use. He's got a lot of friends, and we're taking it real hard.

In 2004, at least nineteen people of college age  died of alcohol toxicity (alcohol poisoning, alcohol overdose).

"There's no place  that's actually keeping data on alcohol deaths"--Thomas Kunstman MD

In all cases, my deepest condolences to family and friends.

Underage Alcohol Deaths 2004
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2005
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2006

Signs of Alcohol Poisoning

Alcohol depresses nerves that control involuntary actions such as breathing, the heartbeat and the gag reflex that prevents choking. A fatal dose of alcohol will eventually stop these functions. After the victim stops drinking, the heart keeps beating, and the alcohol in the stomach continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate through the system. The victim may experience the following:

• Mental confusion, stupor, coma, unable to rouse the person
• No response to pinching the skin
• Vomiting while sleeping or unresponsive
• Seizures
• Slowed breathing  (fewer than 8 breaths per minute)
• Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths)
• Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness

Alcohol Poisoning Requires Immediate Medical Attention

Alcohol Poisoning Cannot Be Reversed By:

• Drinking black coffee
• Taking a cold bath or shower
• Walking it off

The victim must have immediate medical attention.
Call 911, stay with the victim to prevent him choking on vomit, and tell emergency personnel how much alcohol the victim drank.

These Children Died of Alcohol Overdose, So Their Parents Started Foundations:

Taylor Webster's memorial foundation.  Taylor died of alcohol  poisoning at age 19-- Now his family and friends are working  to get the message out, telling their stories and providing  information on alcohol poisoning and the signs and symtoms  of alcohol poisoning in hopes that lives will be saved.

Bradley McCue's memorial foundation.  On November 5, 1998  Bradley turned 21. . He celebrated  his birthday in a way that has become increasingly popular, drinking "his  age in shots". That amount of alcohol was lethal and he died  that night of alcohol poisoning.

Samantha Spady's memorial foundation. A 19-year old student at Colorado State University, Spady died of alcohol poisoning on September 5, 2004, "an unintentional tragedy."  The Spadys say the SAM [Student Alcohol Management] Spady Foundation will develop peer-to-peer counseling and other services meant to reduce the risk of alcohol abuse.

Gordie Bailey's memorial foundation.   The mission of the Gordie Foundation is to provide today’s youth with the skills to navigate the dangers of alcohol, and through education and promotion of self worth prevent alcohol poisoning, binge drinking and hazing.

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Coroner's Report

Elgin_It was more than just a rumor. The Oklahoma Medical Examiner tells 7News that alcohol poisoning killed an Elgin High School student last October. Sixteen year old Dakota Johnson's blood alcohol content was .336% - over four times the legal amount for an adult to drive a car.

Three months later, investigators are still trying to determine how Johnson got the alcohol. They know it came from a liquor store in Lawton, but aren't sure who bought it and Elgin Police Chief Carl Bremenkamp says his investigation into the boy's death had been at a standstill - until now.

The Medical Examiners report came back revealing the cause of his death - "acute alcohol intoxication". "The cause of death, in layman's terms is alcohol poisoning," says Bremenkamp. The Chief says it was not a small amount of liquor that killed him. Police say Johnson's mother found him unresponsive in their backyard on a Sunday morning. Investigators later found out he and some other students had attended a party the night before.

"This boy ended up with a liter of vodka - one liter. And sometime throughout the night until they found the bottle the next day and it was empty," he says. Bremenkamp says Johnson either drank it all - or he had some help. "We'll go out and re-interview a lot of people we interviewed, plus a few more that we kind of bypassed on it," he says.

Although Doctor John Yuthas did not work on Johnson's case, he agreed to explain the effects of alcohol poisoning. "Blood alcohol content is just a measurement of how much alcohol you have in your bloodstream," he says. "When it reaches a dangerous level, it causes respiratory depression. You lose your drive to take breaths and as that becomes more severe you stop breathing and you die."

"This is been devastating to us and to our school and our kids and we're very sad," says Yuthas. Elgin School Superintendent Tom Crimmins agrees. "We would hope our students at Elgin Schools would understand that the use of alcohol can be devastating to their life," he says. "His death was a very tragic accident, but we need to find out and prevent that from happening again."

Chief Bremenkamp says once his investigation is complete, they'll turn the case over to the District Attorney who will decide if any charges will be filed against anyone who may have supplied the alcohol or sold alcohol to a minor. Superintendent Crimmins says it takes more than just educating kids about alcohol - he says adults need to be responsible and make sure it stays out of their hands.