The cause of death for a 16-year-old Eaglecrest High School student could not be determined after an autopsy was completed Monday morning, Arapahoe County coroner’s officials said.
A toxicology test will be conducted to find out whether Brandon Bates died from a drug or alcohol overdose as witnesses suspect.
The report on Bates’ toxicology results could take one to three weeks to complete.
Witnesses and friends described his death as a drug overdose, but Aurora police said they could not confirm that view.
Police spokesman Marcus Dudley has said there was no apparent trauma to Bates’ body.
Bates was found dead at a friend’s apartment in the 3800 block of South Genoa Court on Sunday morning after being dropped off by another friend the night before.
His friends say Bates did not live there but was dropped off in bad condition sometime overnight.
About 11:30 a.m. Sunday, a teenager who was in the apartment noticed Bates had bruising on his arm, blue lips and wasn’t breathing.
Paramedics were called, and Bates was pronounced dead in the apartment.
The Cherry Creek School District had extra counselors at Eaglecrest High School to talk to students about Bates’ death on Monday.
Some students did choose to talk to the counselors about what happened, said Tustin Amole, district spokeswoman.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-820-1219 or at fcardona@denverpost.com.
