PAWNEE COUNTY — School officials, students and the southwest Kansas communities of Rozel and Burdette that makeup the USD 496/Pawnee Heights school district are in mourning. A student with the school district died on Tuesday at a football practice.
Just after 9p.m. Tuesday, Pawnee County Sheriff Larry Atteberry contacted Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett to advise him that Pawnee County EMS had responded to a Pawnee Heights’ football practice earlier in the evening due to a player collapsing, according to a statement from McNett.
The sheriff informed McNett that medical personnel had been unable to revive the boy at the scene. At approximately 11:00 p.m., a sheriff's department detective contacted McNettt to learn whether he would authorize an autopsy as County Attorney due to the Deputy County Coroner being out of town.
McNett advised he would authorize the autopsy "if the young man’s family wished to have one."
Late Wednesday afternoon, McNett confirmed referral was made to the Finney County Coroner and the autopsy, originally scheduled for Garden City is now scheduled for some time Thursday in Wichita.
"It will not be law enforcement observed as there were multiple witnesses to the medical emergency and there is no suspicion of foul play."
McNett did not have specifics on what happened that led to the boy's death and he did "not know the young man personally." McNett said he did know the boy's parents. "They are very active in the community and my heart breaks for them." "The Rozel and Burdett Communities which makeup the Pawnee Heights School District are extremely closeknit, and I know this loss will be felt deeply." The boy's name and other detail have not been released.