ST. GEORGE — A teenage girl was pronounced dead in the early evening Tuesday at the Diamond Ranch Academy in Hurricane.
Police spokesperson Dan Raddatz said officers and Hurricane Valley Fire District medical personnel were dispatched to the academy, a boarding school for troubled teens, on Sand Hollow Road at 4:58 p.m.
Dr. Ephraim Hanks, the clinical physician for the academy, told St. George News the 17-year-old female student was on campus and not feeling well when she “suddenly collapsed.” Immediately, emergency medical services were contacted.
According to reports, when first responders arrived, school staff were providing CPR. That and other life-saving measures were taken over by the EMS officers after they arrived. The efforts were unsuccessful, and the patient was pronounced deceased.
Hanks said the girl, who has not been identified, was well-loved by both students and staff.
Diamond Ranch Academy released the following statement:
We are saddened by the sudden passing of one of our amazing students. Our hearts go out to her family and friends and the staff who worked with her and loved her.
Academy officials said they are awaiting the autopsy results to know exactly what happened before releasing more information publicly.
That is also the position from Hurricane Police. Raddatz said due to the nature of the incident and the investigation being open, no other information would be released including the identity of the girl.
“The Hurricane City Police Department extends our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the student, the staff and students at the school, as well as the first responders involved with this incident,” Hurricane Police said in a statement released to the media.
Police are working with the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner to determine a cause of death, Raddatz said.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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