Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill said the. 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. 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. BATESVILLE, Ark. He is married to Malgorzata Wroblewska Nuwer of Warsaw, Poland and Fairbanks, Alaska. LITTLE ROCK (KATV) The Batesville Police Department has identified a Lyon College student that was found dead in his dorm room over the weekend. 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. Email White River Now
[email protected]. BATESVILLE, Ark. Students said they left Gilfedder passed out on the floor of his Lyon College dorm room around 2 a.m. Jan. 30, 2021. 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. Investigators say they have identified three persons of interest, but there were no signs of foul play at the scene. The suit does not cite a specific monetary figure. 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." According to the family, Giles lifeless body was dropped at a Southern California Hospital nearly 12 hours later by men seen in a video concealing their identities and driving a vehicle with no license plate. Get up-to-date local and regional news/weather every weekday morning and afternoon from theFirst Community BankNewsroom onArkansas 103.3. Please read our Terms of Use or contact us. Police in Batesville have now released the name of the person found dead in a dorm room at Lyon College this weekend. An autopsy showed that Gilfedder's blood alcohol content was .357% and that the cause of his death was acute alcohol intoxication. Lyon College has not responded for comment yet. 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 . 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. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. While still waiting for the autopsy results, Gilfedders family suspects his death is the result of a hazing event gone wrong. Somebody reach out to us and tell us what happened, tell us what happened, Nikki said. 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. 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. . "It means a lot to us that our daughter touched so many in her short, but yet wonderful, extraordinary life," she said. 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California was attending Lyon College to play first base on the men's baseball team. Gilfedders parents told Arkansas media that their sons body was battered, and he consumed a fifth of alcohol at a team hazing party. Police are waiting for autopsy results before commenting. White River Now updates are also aired weekday mornings on93 KZLE,Outlaw 106.5, andYour FM 99.5. Police say three people of interest have been developed, after interviews were conducted by police on student athletes at Lyon College. 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. Officers and emergency medical services arrived on scene and pronounced 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California dead at the scene, according to Cockrill. Get the latest news about higher education in the US straight to your inbox. Gilfedder said his son had nearly 60 offers to go play baseball in college, but he fell in love with Arkansas and Lyon College. Gilfedder died in early 2021 after he was found dead in his dorm room. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Click to open player flyout to access more features. 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. I want my son back, Gilfedder said. 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. Somebody killed him. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. 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. Another way to request for California Death Records is through online public databases. The documents do not specify a quantity or a time frame of the incident in question. The resident assistant claimed they found him very intoxicated and wandering the campus, so they brought him back to his room, the document states. The College Post is part of Globe Post Media, a US digital news organization publishing the worlds best targeted news sites. "He only drank a fifth of vodka; that would not kill my son." Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. The family believes that Gilfedders death is the result of a hazing event that went wrong. 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. 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.. 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. Looking for James Gilfedder online? (202) 351-0510 | An hour and a half later, it was determined that Gilfedder was unresponsive and students notified the resident assistant, the documents state. All rights reserved. They dont have one person in jail right now. The College is fully cooperating with the Batesville Police Department and for privacy reasons, we are unable to share any further information at this time, King said. Cabrales-Arzola allegedly responded Yes. 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. Has your state launched one yet? And the witnesses that havent spoke up, I suggest you speak because I dont want to see you guys in prison, Gilfedder said. 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. Ill call an Uber. 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. James Aaron Gilfedder III, 19, of Batesville, Arkansas, formerly Yucaipa, California, passed away on January 30, 2021. We were hoping because it was a dry county, no alcohol, that things were going to be good, Nikki said. All rights reserved. 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. Its a secret and these kids are being told to keep quiet. The younger James Gilfedder, who was 19, died Jan. 30 after attending a party with the Lyon College baseball team. The home is believed. James Gilfedder, 19, of Lyon College in Arkansas was found dead in his dorm room from alcohol intoxication. Find Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok profiles, images and more on IDCrawl - free people search website. Somebody hurt him. James and Nikki Gilfedder, the parents of the victim, spoke in an interview with KATV that aired on Thursday night. Gilfedder had attended a pre-season party at a house on Boles Street in east Batesville, near the Lyon College campus. Somebody hurt him. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. 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. https://www.kait8.com/2021/02/05/report-family-lyon-college-student-suspects-foul-play-death/. The home is believed to have been partially owned by Lyon College's baseball coach Jacob Huffman, documents state. 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. Gilfedder had attended a pre-season party at a house on Boles Street in east Batesville, near the Lyon College campus. The Gilfedders were especially saddened to learn the circumstances surrounding their son's death. After attending the party, where he consumed alcoholic beverages, he was found deceased, lying on the floor in his dorm room. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. He wanted to be a doctor or (a) professional baseball player, Nikki said. His new book is Hazing: Destroying Young Lives from Indiana University Press. The bruised body of James Gilfedder is undergoing an autopsy at this time while his teammates continue to play. When people finally see and hear about this evidence this town is going to be furious and disgusted, Gilfedder said. He and his wife Gosia, recently of Union City, Ind., have owned 20 acres in Alaska for many years. 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. 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. If you have yet to be immunized against COVID-19, White River Now urges you to talk to your trusted local physician or pharmacist about the COVID-19 vaccine. 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. Just after 12:30 pm Saturday afternoon, he was found unresponsive in his dorm room and later pronounced dead. 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. 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.. 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. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! The autopsy results said Gilfedder died from alcohol intoxication an accidental 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. The home is believed to have been partially owned by Lyon College's baseball coach Jacob Huffman, documents state. 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. 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. Chief Cockrill said the victim was identified as James Aaron Gilfedder. James was raised in Yucaipa and graduated from Yucaipa High School in 2020. Gilfedder, a freshman student-athlete at Lyon College, was found dead in his dorm room earlier this year. A 19-year-old Lyon College student was found dead in his dorm on Saturday, Jan. 30, according to police. Print Headline: Family sues in student's death. These boys are out here playing baseball. The documents say the college and the coach were aware of the hazing of new teammates, including Gilfedder. Somebody killed him, Nikki Gilfedder, James mother, said. 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.