Bloomfield Hills

Cranbrook boarding student found dead on campus, police say

By Tiffany Esshaki
C & G Staff Writer

It was nearly a week ago that a boy unexpectedly passed away on the campus of the Cranbrook Educational Community, and police still have no idea what caused the teen’s death.

According to a statement Cranbrook released to the Bloomfield Hills Police Department, a 10th-grade boarding student at the school passed away overnight Oct. 4-5. The name and hometown of the student are not being released at the request of the family, which has asked that their privacy be respected during this difficult time.

Bloomfield Hills Police Chief Richard Matott said in a report that officers and EMS responded to the campus within minutes of being notified  at around 5 a.m. Friday morning, where school security personnel were performing CPR on the boy, which was ultimately unsuccessful. He had been found lying unconscious in a hallway of his dormitory, allegedly having a seizure. According to the statement from Cranbrook, he had no roommate, as is typical with male boarding students at the campus.

Though no immediate signs of wrongdoing were found on the scene, Bloomfield Hills Police Lt. Terry McDonnell said that nothing is being ruled out at this point.

“The cause of death is totally undetermined. We’re still waiting for the medical examiner to get back to us. The autopsy should be back in 30 days,” he said.

According to the statement from Cranbrook, they are making professional counselors available to students at all times, and extra efforts are being made to help students who need to speak with someone concerning the loss.

Cranbrook Schools Communications Director Clay Matthews said he will provide more information as it became available. Check back with CandGNews.com for more details.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Tiffany Esshaki at tesshaki@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1095.