Autopsy: No new clues revealed in death of teen football player in the Bronx

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Autopsy: No new clues revealed in death of teen football player in the Bronx
14-year-old Dominick Bess died Tuesday after he collapsed while running sprints at Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Wakefield section.

WAKEFIELD, Bronx (WABC) -- An autopsy has not revealed any new clues into the sudden death of a freshman football player in the Bronx. The Medical Examiner says further testing is necessary.

Fourteen-year-old Dominick Bess died Tuesday after he collapsed while running sprints at Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Wakefield section.

Dominick and his father had just spent the weekend together at his home in Maryland. He said Dominick was excited about his first year of high school.

A heat advisory had issued for the city but didn't go into effect until noon. Temperatures reached into the high 80s, but with humidity it felt much hotter.

Dominick was a brainy, fun-loving boy from a close-knit family, and he'd help out his relatives even with the cooking, cousin Simone Dyer said.

"A well-rounded kid," he was good at things ranging from math to baking cinnamon buns, she said.

"He was a good kid - awesome kid," Dyer said.

Mount Saint Michaels said in a statement that its "heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, as well as coaches, the team and our student-athletes."

Mount Saint Michaels has 800 students and a grass football field with stands that seat up to 3,000 people, according to its website. The natural field helps tamp down high heat levels, according to the website, which can reduce the likelihood of heat stroke and fatigue.

The football season begins in September, but practice had been going on for weeks.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)