Lyon College has not responded for comment yet. (KAIT) - The family of a California teenager who died of alcohol poisoning while a student at Lyon College has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the college, according to court records. Students said they left Gilfedder passed out on the floor of his Lyon College dorm room around 2 a.m. Jan. 30, 2021. 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. Kim Kardashian looked delighted as she joined James Corden to film a skit for his Carpool Karaoke segment on The Late Late Show this week.. 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. Click below for more info from White River Now. James was raised in Yucaipa and graduated from Yucaipa High School in 2020. Email White River Now atnews@whiterivernow.com. James "Big Country Gilfedder" played for Yucaipa HS his senior year, 2020. Free community college programs have become more and more popular. The home is believed to have been partially owned by Lyon College's baseball coach Jacob Huffman, documents state. Batesville police say he had last attended an off-campus party at a home rented by a few of his teammates. According to the documents, James Gilfedder III was 19 years old when he was invited to a party off-campus on Jan. 29, 2021, at a home in Batesville that was being rented by another baseball player. A medicolegal autopsy differs from a hospital autopsy. "Somebody did something.. Gilfedder went . Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill said an autopsy showed Gilfedder died of severe alcohol intoxication and that the death was ruled as accidental. 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. 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. "Somebody did something. After attending the party, where he consumed alcoholic beverages, he was found deceased, lying on the floor in his dorm room. 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." They are doing the code of silence. And the witnesses that havent spoke up, I suggest you speak because I dont want to see you guys in prison, Gilfedder said. 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. James Gilfedder, 19, of Lyon College in Arkansas was found dead in his dorm room from alcohol intoxication. Gilfedder (pictured below) was a freshman baseball player at Lyon College. As a journalist, hes written about the Alaskan Iditarod sled-dog race and other Alaska topics. Spice up your get-togethers with these top 27 fresh college party themes full of dancing, fun activities, and stunning photos for Instagram. The Gilfedders were especially saddened to learn the circumstances surrounding their son's death. 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. Please read our Terms of Use or contact us. Yes, I think it was an initiation that went out of control, James said. I am deeply saddened to share that this morning, one of our students passed away. https://www.kait8.com/2021/02/05/report-family-lyon-college-student-suspects-foul-play-death/. 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. He also won third place for the column in 2022 from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. According to Cockrill, multiple interviews with Lyon College athletes have been conducted so far in the course of the investigation Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. 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." Media said the house where he parties was owned by an assistant coach. 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. Gilfedder, a freshman student-athlete at Lyon College, was found dead in his dorm room earlier this year. Have a news tip or event to promote? 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. A primary objective is to try to reconstruct the circumstances and events that led to the death so that a mode (natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined) can be established. Police say three people of interest have been developed, after interviews were conducted by police on student athletes at Lyon College. 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California was attending Lyon College to play first base on the men's baseball team. To make an online request for the death record you need, go to the website of Vitalcheck and follow the instructions stated there. Students said they left Gilfedder passed out on the floor of his Lyon College dorm room around 2 a.m. Jan. 30, 2021. With no formal autopsy result to determine what happened, , the victims mother, is suggesting that something more sinister is at play because the information presented to them didnt all match up., Somebody did something. The bruised body of James Gilfedder is undergoing an autopsy at this time while his teammates continue to play. He said the family is waiting on a death certificate before they can bring their sons remains home with them to California. The lawsuit said the autopsy revealed the blood alcohol content of Gilfedder was .357% and the cause of death was acute alcohol intoxication.. 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. "Gilly" was a kind and charismatic young man who was a team favorite and genuine friend to many. The autopsy is designed to determine the cause of death, properly document findings, and collect evidence. The family said that Rainwater Holt & Sexton to are set to represent them. Police in Batesville have now released the name of the person found dead in a dorm room at Lyon College this weekend. Gilfedder, a freshman student-athlete at Lyon College, was found dead in his dorm room earlier this year. 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. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Gilfedder had attended a pre-season party at a house on Boles Street in east Batesville, near the Lyon College campus. Batesville Police Chief Alan Cockrill told KATV that Gilfedder went to a party with the schools baseball team prior to his death. He wanted to be a doctor or (a) professional baseball player, Nikki said. The autopsy results said Gilfedder died from alcohol intoxication an accidental death. 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 . Another way to request for California Death Records is through online public databases. 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. Get up-to-date local and regional news/weather every weekday morning and afternoon from theFirst Community BankNewsroom onArkansas 103.3. 2023 Hank Nuwer Unofficial Hazing Clearinghouse. The college said it provided counseling to students after the death and would work to help people impacted by the death. 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. More information has been released in the death of a Lyon College student found over the weekend on campus. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Lyon College said Friday that the institution cannot comment on pending litigation. I feel like I participated in his murder because I brought him here, James said. Looking for James Gilfedder online? We were hoping because it was a dry county, no alcohol, that things were going to be good, Nikki said. Its a secret and these kids are being told to keep quiet. While still waiting for the autopsy results, Gilfedder's family suspects his death is the result of a hazing event gone wrong. 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. 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. Batesville police confirmed the party was held at a home partially owned by a baseball coach at Lyon College and all the renters are baseball players there. 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. A 19-year-old Lyon College student was found dead in his dorm on Saturday, Jan. 30, according to police. were dropped at separate Los Angeles hospitals two hours apart. A student at Lyon College in Arkansas, 19-year-old James Gilfedder, was found dead inside his dorm room on Saturday. (The) kids got alcohol, they got drugs at that house. And dont forget to download the White River Now mobile app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. 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. 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. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. Website design and development by Legendary Lion Creative Agency. Due to an ongoing police investigation, an autopsy and pending toxicology report, there is not yet an official cause of 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. Has your state launched one yet? 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. Investigators say they have identified three persons of interest, but there were no signs of foul play at the scene. White River Now updates are also aired weekday mornings on93 KZLE,Outlaw 106.5, andYour FM 99.5. A student at Lyon College in Arkansas, 19-year-old James Gilfedder, was found dead inside his dorm room on Saturday. The home is believed to have been partially owned by Lyon College's baseball coach Jacob Huffman, documents state. The family got a call from Batesville police on Saturday that their son had died after going to a party with the baseball team. 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. I want my son back, Gilfedder said. A college degree doesn't need to drain your finances. All rights reserved. Pullman Police Chief Jenkins drops the ball in Big-Little death. A web design company. went to a party with the schools baseball team prior to his death. James said his son hoped to bring the town of Batesville a championship. 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. He only drank a fifth of vodka that would not kill my son, she told KATV. (202) 351-0510 | Read his musings in his column "Golden Heart Tales" in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Example video title will go here for this video. 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. The bruised body of James Gilfedder is undergoing an autopsy at this time while his teammates continue to play. 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. Cabrales-Arzola allegedly responded Yes. Streaming Stations: Click to open player flyout to access more . 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. Somebody hurt him. Somebody killed him," Nikki Gilfedder told the Little Rock TV station. While still waiting for the autopsy results, Gilfedders family suspects his death is the result of a hazing event gone wrong. Somebody hurt him. BATESVILLE, Ark. 19-year-old James Gilfedder of California was attending Lyon College to play first base on the men's baseball team. Batesville police told KATVs content partner KAIT Region 8 News, that student-athletes were interviewed and there are three persons of interest. 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. An hour and a half later, it was determined that Gilfedder was unresponsive and students notified the resident assistant, the documents state. 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. 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. Print Headline: Family sues in student's death. 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. Copyright 2022 KAIT. Somebody had a lot of hate or something because from what we have seen no one should have ever went through that no one.. To find out more about the aforementioned records, call the California Department of Public health at 916-445-2684. 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. They have a game tomorrow and I have to go bury my son, James said. 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.