Published 9 days ago • loading... • Updated 8 days ago

Teen's sudden death on Christmas leaves family mourning

At their Piedmont, Alabama home, Scarlett Durden, 16-year-old, collapsed in the pantry after opening presents, and her family called 911 while medical teams performed CPR for 90 minutes before she was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The family has a history of heart problems, and Scarlett's father was awaiting a heart transplant for a genetic condition, but Scarlett had no prior chest-pain complaints and only asthma while in Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
Relatives asked doctors to examine Scarlett's heart to learn what happened and possibly help others, while medical staff noted similarities to sudden cardiac death in athletes, relatives said.
The family publicly mourned and vowed to preserve Scarlett's memory, as relatives posted remembrances describing her as wonderfully goofy and full of life.
Officials say an autopsy will take weeks and cannot yet confirm a cause, while the family, who moved to Piedmont, Alabama for a fresh start, plans a funeral on Saturday, Jan. 3.

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