ZANESVILLE – A genetic disorder was reportedly the biggest contributor to the death of 20-year-old Jeremy Michael, who collapsed while playing basketball at Muskingum University on Dec. 9.
His cause of death was listed a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart disease in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder for the heart to pump blood. The autopsy was completed Feb. 5 by Dr. Maneesha Pandey, a forensic pathologist with the Licking County Coroner’s Office, and released to the Times Recorder on March 9.
Muskingum University campus police were called to the Anne Steele Center around 9:06 p.m. Dec. 9 for a student having a seizure, according to a campus police report.
Located on the west end of the basketball court, Jeremy was breathing and had a pulse when first responders initially reached him, the report stated. There was some blood on the floor, but its cause was unknown.
New Concord police, medics and firefighters arrived shortly after and began chest compressions. Jeremy was transported to Genesis Hospital but was pronounced dead at 11 p.m.
The report included some brief eyewitness testimonies that Jeremy had been playing basketball, collapsed and started seizing.
Jeremy, of North Ridgeville, was a sophomore at Muskingum University and majoring in sports communication. He played on the MU football team, was a fraternity member in Manhood, Achievement, Christian Character, Education (M.A.C.E.), and was a North Ridgeville High School alum.
Shawn Digity is a reporter for the Zanesville Times Recorder. He can be emailed at sdigity@gannett.com or found on X at @ShawnDigityZTR.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Genetic heart disease caused Muskingum University athlete’s death
Reporting by Shawn Digity, Zanesville Times Recorder / Zanesville Times Recorder
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