Community Corner
Burnsville Teen Died Of Heart Condition, Medical Examiner Confirms
Devin Delaney, 17, was a senior at Burnsville High School when he died during a visit to the NDSU campus in September.
BURNSVILLE, MN — A Burnsville teen who was found dead in a North Dakota State University dorm room last month died from a heart condition, a North Dakota medical examiner said. According to KSTP, the examiner believes a virus likely attacked Delaney's heart, which caused myocarditis.
The Cass County coroner's office did not immediately return a call from Patch for comment.
According to the Mayo Clinic, myocarditis "is an inflammation of the heart muscle (myocardium). Myocarditis can affect your heart muscle and your heart's electrical system, reducing your heart's ability to pump and causing rapid or abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias)."
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The teen's father, Tom Delaney, said on Facebook Saturday that despite what several media outlets reported, his family had confirmation that neither drugs nor alcohol were factors in his son's death:
We only saw a few of the news media stories that ran, and we hope most were just about the tragic passing of Devin, and what a kind soul Devin was. However, we did see a few that assumed Devin’s passing was due to actions and choices Devin and his friends made that night, specifically relating his death to “Binge Drinking”, when the autopsy showed a negligible amount of alcohol. So, while we believe stories like that are good to remind students the dangers of such actions, it was truly inappropriate for the news media to jump to conclusions, and run multiple stories with Devin’s picture telling the dangers of Binge Drinking, and relating it to Devin’s death. Shame on them!! Specifically, a couple of local Fargo News stations.
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Devin Delaney "was a guy who was incredibly loved and made an impact on many lives," reads a GoFundMe page created in his name. "Wherever Devin went, he brought an abundance of joy with. He was there to help anyone in need."
The GoFundMe page is now closed. A total of $26,560 was raised for funeral expenses.
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