SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Family and friends need to know why South Dakota State University football player Nathan White died and that’s one of the reasons police are investigating his death, Brookings Police Chief Michael Drake said.
White was found unresponsive and not breathing by a roommate at about 6:44 a.m. Wednesday in Brookings, police said. The cause of death is unknown.
“We only know Nathan through the call yesterday,” Drake said on Thursday. “When a 20-year-old dies, you want to make sure you cover all the bases.”
Drake said an autopsy was completed at Sanford in Sioux Falls. The autopsy includes a toxicology report. It could take two to four weeks to get the autopsy results, Drake said.
“An autopsy is generally ordered when a person is under a certain age,” Drake said.
Police were meeting with family members of White’s again on Thursday, Drake said. As of Thursday morning, police were not aware that White had any health issues, but, “it’s still early on,” Drake said.
When police respond to any incident such as White’s the first priority is to save a life when possible, Drake said. The other priority is to start “ask questions about how it happened and why it happened,” he said.
The same questions and investigation would be done for a 90-year-old who died of an apparent slip and fall in the bathroom, Drake said. The answers may be found quickly with the 90-year-old, who has a doctor who can provide a medical reason, he said.
The public could help provide more information about White’s death, Drake said.
As part of the investigation, police need determine not only the cause but also if there are contributing factors, if someone could be culpable in the death and similar, Drake said.
“We want to make sure we are crossing our T’s and dotting our I’s,” Drake said.
