15-Year-Old High School Football Player Died of Heatstroke amid High Temperatures: 'His Absence Is Deeply Felt'

Mar. 15, 2025

Ovet Gomez Regalado.Photo:GoFundMe

GoFundMe

The cause of death has been determined for a Kansas City teenager who died just days after football practice at his high school.

On Thursday, Oct. 17, a Johnson County, Kan., medical examiner confirmed that Ovet Gomez Regalado died of heatstroke,ABC Newsreported. The 15-year-old first collapsed as he walked towards Northwest High School following a 15-minute exercise before dying two days later on Aug. 14.

The final assessment comes two months after an initial investigation that began following Regalado’s death over the summer.

Per ABC News, the medical examiner’s report said the temperature on the day of Regalado’s death was 92° F with humidity increasing how hot it was. The report also stated that obesity played a factor in the teen’s death, noting that he weighed 384 lbs. and had the trait for sickle cell.

Although initially ice bags were used to cool his body temperature following his collapse, Regalado’s body temperature was 104.6° F when EMS officials arrived at the scene, the medical examiner’s report said, per the outlet.

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Shawnee Mission Northwest High School.GoogleMaps

GoogleMaps

While the medical examiner’s investigation was underway, the Shawnee Police Department also looked into Regalado’s death, ABC News reported.

PEOPLE has reached out the medical examiner and Shawnee Police Department for more information.

“Your child will hear many different things, but please encourage them not to make guesses and spread rumors,” she continued. “The family will need privacy as they struggle to handle their grief, and the administration is asking everyone to respect that privacy.”

source: people.com