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. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. An autopsy showed Gilfedder's blood alcohol content was 0.357% and that the cause of his death was acute alcohol intoxication. 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California was attending Lyon College to play first base on the men's baseball team. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Somebody killed him, Nikki Gilfedder, James mother, said. While still waiting for the autopsy results, Gilfedders family suspects his death is the result of a hazing event gone wrong. 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. And dont forget to download the White River Now mobile app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Somebody reach out to us and tell us what happened, tell us what happened, Nikki said. To make an online request for the death record you need, go to the website of Vitalcheck and follow the instructions stated there. Sunday's cornhole tournament was all about celebrating his life and raising funds for the family. Batesville police say he had last attended an off-campus party at a home rented by a few of his teammates. Have a news tip or event to promote? Cockrill said the teen was pronounced dead at the scene. Chief Cockrill said the victim was identified as James Aaron Gilfedder. 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California. (202) 351-0510 | Police are Investigating the On-Campus Shooting Death of a UArizona Sophomore as a Homicide. The home is believed to have been partially owned by Lyon College's baseball coach Jacob Huffman, documents state. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Gilfedder had attended a pre-season party at a house on Boles Street in east Batesville, near the Lyon College campus. of Little Rock, and Wilcox & Averitt, PLC of Jonesboro. These men did something to subdue and keep my daughter in their apartment for 10 to 12 hours, Dusty Giles said. 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. The documents do not specify a quantity or a time frame of the incident in question. For COVID-19 information from the Arkansas Department of Health,click here. After attending the party, where he consumed alcoholic beverages, he was found deceased, lying on the floor in his dorm room. The family believes that Gilfedders death is the result of a hazing event that went wrong. James "Big Country Gilfedder" played for Yucaipa HS his senior year, 2020. According to Chief Alan Cockrill with the Batesville Police Department, a 19-year-old Lyon College student was found dead in his dorm on Saturday, Jan. 30. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Investigators say they have identified three persons of interest, but there were no signs of foul play at the scene. He only drank a fifth of vodka that would not kill my son, she, Virginia House Bill to Offer Scholarships to Descendants of Enslaved Workers, United Steelworkers Call Out University of Pittsburgh Anti-Union Efforts, 26 Best Part-Time Jobs for College Students to Earn Extra Cash, 15 Most Expensive College Majors (And If Theyre Worth It), Top 27 College Party Themes for a Night to Remember, Is Community College Free? 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.. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed to People that the case is . Have a news tip or event to promote? 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. 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. The best part-time jobs for college students will beef up your resume (and, more importantly, your wallet) without sacrificing your grades. 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. The parents traveled to Arkansas from California this week to learn about. 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. The move is a sort-of coming home for us, said Nuwer. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! When reached for comment, Lyon College officials referred to its statement from January 2021 from then-President W. Joseph King about the situation. The home is believed. When the family arrived in Arkansas from California, they said the pieces didnt all match up. 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California was attending Lyon College to play first base on the men's baseball team. He said the family is waiting on a death certificate before they can bring their sons remains home with them to California. 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. 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. 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 younger James Gilfedder, who was 19, died Jan. 30 after attending a party with the Lyon College baseball team. Gilfedder went . 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. Lyon College declined to comment Friday, citing pending litigation. 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. 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 had attended a pre-season party at a house on Boles Street in east Batesville, near the Lyon College campus. Here are 67 side hustles perfect for hard-working college students with tight student budgets! A web design company. Region 8 News will have more details as they become available. Somebody killed him. He only drank a fifth of vodka that would not kill my son, she told KATV. The house was being rented by other members of the baseball team. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The reality star, 42, cracked up as she joined departing . Yes, I think it was an initiation that went out of control, James said. 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. Example video title will go here for this video. Autopsy results released for Lyon baseball player. 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. The Batesville Police Department arrived on the scene around 12:38 pm and began an investigation. Officers and emergency medical services arrived on scene and pronounced 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California dead at the scene, according to Cockrill. Students claim they left Gilfedder passed out on the floor of his Lyon College dorm room around 2 a.m. Jan. 30, 2021. Somebody hurt him. Somebody did something. The home is believed to have been partially owned by Lyon College's baseball coach Jacob Huffman, documents state. 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. (877) WASH-DC-1. He only drank a fifth of vodka that would not kill my son, Nikki said. Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill told White River Now the results from the Arkansas State Crime Labs autopsy on James Gilfedder were recently received. Another way to request for California Death Records is through online public databases. 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. 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. Find Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok profiles, images and more on IDCrawl - free people search website. Cilliers said their iCloud account shows that no further messages were sent or checked from Giles phone. KATV asked James if he believed it was a hazing event. "He only drank a fifth of vodka; that would not kill my son." Lyon College said Friday that the institution cannot comment on pending litigation. James and Nikki Gilfedder, the parents of the victim, spoke in an interview with KATV that aired on Thursday night. Just after 12:30 pm Saturday afternoon, he was found unresponsive in his dorm room and later pronounced dead. Hot Springs police respond to shots fired, one injured, A look at what bills could become laws in Arkansas next week, Your Arkansas weather forecast from THV11, School bus crash causes traffic delays on I-630, Two arrested in connection to Lonoke County homicide, Man killed after shooting incident on Arkansas Highway 367, police say, Little Rock residents say 911 dispatch is too slow at answering emergency calls. Investigators are waiting on autopsy results before submitting their evidence to the prosecutor for possible charges. The Gilfedder family is also asking Lyon, Huffman and Huffmania Ventures to respond to the lawsuit within 30 days. Mystery continues to surround the model and aspiring actress death after the 24-year-old and her designer friend, Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, 26. went to a party with the schools baseball team prior to his death. And the witnesses that havent spoke up, I suggest you speak because I dont want to see you guys in prison, Gilfedder said. 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. 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. All rights reserved. "Gilly" was a kind and charismatic young man who was a team favorite and genuine friend to many. He wanted to be a doctor or (a) professional baseball player, Nikki said. We were hoping because it was a dry county, no alcohol, that things were going to be good, Nikki said. Gilfedder went to a friend's house on Friday night, Jan. 29, and at some point in the night, consumed alcohol, according to police. The court filing noted that the Gilfedder family is represented by two law firms: Rainwater, Holt & Sexton, P.A. 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. The resident assistant did not check on him again that night and found him dead the next day, according to the document. 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, KTLA reports. The 27-page lawsuit says this is an action for injuries, conscious pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of life and wrongful death.. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Copyright 2021 TFNL Group. Lyon College has not responded for comment yet. 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. 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. At the time of Gilfedder's death, the president of the. Somebody hurt him. James Aaron Gilfedder III, 19, of Batesville, Arkansas, formerly Yucaipa, California, passed away on January 30, 2021. . 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." . Has your state launched one yet? Get up-to-date local and regional news/weather every weekday morning and afternoon from theFirst Community BankNewsroom onArkansas 103.3. Somebody hurt him. 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. 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. "Somebody did something.. 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. 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.