Coroner Investigates Death Of U-VA's Otto Warmbier After North Korea Release

(Updated 1:51 p.m. Tuesday) CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — Otto Warmbier, the University of Virginia student detained and released from North Korea, has died, his family said in a statement Monday. U.S. officials confirmed Tuesday he had been released and his family said he was in a coma and was transported to his home in Cincinnati after being detained for 18 months in North Korea.

A coroner's office in Ohio will investigate the cause of death, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. The 22-year-old was treated at University of Cincinnati Medical Center, which his parents say "did everything they could for Otto. According to USA Today, doctors said he was suffering from Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome, meaning he was awake but not showing signs of awareness. Doctors also found he lost a significant amount of brain tissue.

North Korean officials say he caught botulism, a rare illness caused by bacteria, after the trial. He was given a sleeping pill, and he has been in a coma since. North Korean officials say Warmbier has been in a coma for more than a year, but U.S. officials just learned of his condition on June 5. This was the first time the U.S. has received word of the UVA student since he was sentenced in March 2016 for "hostile acts against the state." Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor.

A public funeral service is set for Thursday at his alma mater Wyoming High School, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The family released a statement after Warmbier's death:

It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home. Surrounded by his loving family, Otto died today at 2:20pm.

It would be easy at a moment like this to focus on all that we lost — future time that won't be spent with a warm, engaging, brilliant young man whose curiosity and enthusiasm for life knew no bounds. But we choose to focus on the time we were given to be with this remarkable person. You can tell from the outpouring of emotion from the communities that he touched — Wyoming, Ohio and the University of Virginia to name just two — that the love for Otto went well beyond his immediate family.

We would like to thank the wonderful professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who did everything they could for Otto. Unfortunately, the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today.

When Otto returned to Cincinnati late on June 13th he was unable to speak, unable to see and unable to react to verbal commands. He looked very uncomfortable — almost anguished. Although we would never hear his voice again, within a day the countenance of his face changed — he was at peace. He was home and we believe he could sense that.

We thank everyone around the world who has kept him and our family in their thoughts and prayers. We are at peace and at home too.

Fred & Cindy Warmbier and Family

Public officials expressed condolences to the family after the news broke.

President Trump said in a statement,

Melania and I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Otto Warmbier on his untimely passing. There is nothing more tragic for a parent than to lose a child in the prime of life. Our thoughts and prayers are with Otto's family and friends, and all who loved him.

Otto's fate deepens my Administration's determination to prevent such tragedies from befalling innocent people at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency. The United States once again condemns the brutality of the North Korean regime as we mourn its latest victim.

"Our prayers go out to his family, who have shown great strength and courage throughout this terrible ordeal," said Ohio Gov. John Kasich. "This horrendous situation further underscores the evil, oppressive nature of the North Korean regime that has such disregard for human life."

Follow Patch for more updates as this breaking news story develops.

Image via Kim Kwang Hyon/Associated Press