An autopsy shows the Shawnee Mission NW football player died from heat stroke

Ovet Gomez Regalado, a 15-year-old Shawnee Mission Northwest student, died in August from heat stroke after collapsing during soccer practice, an autopsy showed.

Emergency responders were called to the school at 5:15 p.m. on August 14, arriving at 5:32 p.m. and transporting the prospective student to a local hospital. Gomez Regalado died on August 16th.

The autopsy conducted by the Johnson County Medical Examiner's Office revealed that Gomez Regalado had suffered a hyperthermic event after a 15-minute exercise, meaning his body temperature was abnormally and dangerously high.

Employees reported that Gomez Regalado was pale, sweating profusely and asked for water before collapsing.

The outside temperature during evening practice was reported at 92 degrees, with humidity over 70% and a heat index of at least 112 degrees. A heat warning has been issued for this afternoon.

Gomez Regalado's body temperature was measured at 104.6 degrees after he was placed on ice packs to cool himself down. A core body temperature above 104 degrees is defined as heat stroke.

At the hospital, his temperature dropped to 98.1 degrees, but he had altered mental status and fatigue with a buildup of lactic acid in the bloodstream, the report said.

Gomez Regalado was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit, where his health continued to deteriorate and his family sought only comfort care. The coroner's report described the cause of death as an accident.

In the report, Gomez Regalado was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, which he described as “a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that can occur with intense muscular exertion, particularly at elevated temperatures.”

It said the condition causes “muscle breakdown” which “can have catastrophic effects on organs such as the heart, liver and kidney” and noted that his kidneys and liver were severely damaged. His brain, heart and lungs were swollen and he suffered multisystem organ failure, the report said.

According to the report, Gomez Regalado, who weighs 384 pounds, had a history of obesity and sickle cell anemia, which he described as precipitating factors.

Current information on other investigations

Shawnee police and the Johnson County Medical Examiner's Office jointly investigated Gomez Regalado's death, and the Shawnee Mission School District conducted an internal investigation.

The coroner's report said police were investigating “concerns about improper conduct of practice”. It has been suggested that the investigation may have concluded with the statement: “These concerns were investigated by law enforcement, not the coroner.”

Shawnee police did not immediately respond to The Star's request for comment.

In a written statement, Shawnee Mission district spokesman David Smith said the coroner's report “reopens the painful wounds left by his untimely death.”

“His absence is deeply felt in the Northwest community, and nowhere is this felt more deeply than with his family, including his brother, who continues to attend Northwest,” Smith said.

“The entire Shawnee Mission School District remains heartbroken over the loss of Ovet and we continue to support each other during this difficult time,” Smith said.

In previous Star reports, Smith said the district had a “standard protocol” that “includes follow-up to understand what happened.” Emails requesting updates on the district's investigation and the protocols used for such an investigation did not provide clear answers. Smith initially responded that the district did not, in fact, have “a specific protocol for investigating 'serious incidents.'”

He later clarified: “In a situation like this, we do everything we can to understand what happened and why.” We talk to everyone and look at everything we can to get the clearest understanding possible to reach. I don’t see it as specific, but it’s definitely comprehensive.”

In Friday's statement, Smith said the results of the district's investigation are confidential because they involve private and sensitive student and staff information. But he said the investigation found school staff's actions were consistent with Kansas State High School Activities Association rules and the school's emergency protocols.

KSHSAA does not investigate student deaths or evaluate disciplinary actions. When necessary, the association chooses to work with the school district and law enforcement. In an email, Jeremy Holaday, assistant executive director of the KSHSAA, said there is “no fine or penalty for something of this magnitude.”

“When an investigation shows us that there are flaws in the process or policy, we want to look at how we can improve from our side or whether we have learned something from a particular situation that our sports medicine advisory committee can address “I want to deal with this,” Holaday said in the email.

The family's GoFundMe has raised more than $33,000 and is still receiving donations.

This article used previous reporting by The Star's Sarah Ritter and Ilana Arougheti.