Three Rivers PublishingMeningitis may have killed girl at BGTMWritten by Chris Daniels
Thursday, 13 May 2010 15:14
Eighteen-year-old Heather Hopkins died April 2 at Boys and Girls Town of Missouri.More than a month after their daughter's death, a Missouri couple is still waiting to find exactly what killed her the night she died at the Boys and Girls Town of Missouri campus near St. James.
The investigation into the death of Heather Marie Hopkins, age 18, has still not concluded, despite the fact that she died more than 40 days ago on April 2. The girl was found unresponsive in a commons area at 4:40 a.m. that morning.
After emergency medical procedures were administered at the scene, the teenager was taken to Phelps County Regional Medical Center in Rolla, where she was pronounced dead. The Phelps County Sheriff's Department and St. James fire and ambulance departments all responded to the scene after the girl was found. An autopsy was conducted in St. Louis at the request of Phelps County Coroner Larry Swinfard, but that report has not been made public.
"When I talked to the coroner two weeks ago, he was writing the report," Debbie Hopkins, mother of the deceased, said this week. "I don't know what the hold up is. I don't know why this is taking so long."
Mrs. Hopkins was contacted at the end of April with an unofficial cause of death, and according to her the official report was being drawn up at that time. She said then she was told her daughter died from some form of meningitis, but no specifics on the exact disease were given to her.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), both bacterial and viral meningitis can cause serious illness, although bacterial meningitis is the most serious and can lead to death. Bacterial meningitis is contagious, but can be treated with antibiotics if it is diagnosed correctly.
According to the CDC website, high fever, headache, and stiff neck are common symptoms of meningitis in anyone over the age of two. These symptoms can develop over several hours, or they may take one to two days. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, discomfort looking into bright lights, confusion, and sleepiness. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important. If symptoms occur, the patient should see a doctor immediately.
Mrs. Hopkins reported earlier that her daughter had told her the day before she died that she had a fever of 103.8 degrees. Boys and Girls Town of Missouri has licensed nursing staff on all of its campuses, or on call, 24 hours a day.
"If there is any indication that a potential illness may be contagious, nursing staff is notified and appropriate clinical procedures are followed," said Marie McGeehan, senior director of communications for Boys and Girls Town of Missouri. "Procedures were followed in this situation and a nurse examined the child."
The Hopkins family is eagerly waiting to find out why their child is no longer with them. The family has been in contact with the Missouri Department of Health, but is still waiting for an official cause of death. Family members are extremely frustrated with the lack of information that is being released on their daughter's death and want the investigation to move forward.
Swinfard was contacted this week in an effort to get a copy of the autopsy report, but he was not available for comment.
Funeral services for Heather Hopkins were held April 9 at the West County Assembly of God in Chesterfield, Mo, and she was buried at the St. Charles Memorial Gardens. Her family lives in the O'Fallon, Mo. area.
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