PHOENIX — The absence of a teen who drowned on Show Low Lake while attending football camp went unnoticed until the group was leaving for the day, according to a newly released report.
The Coconino County Health and Human Services Medical Examiner's Office released its final report into the death of 15-year-old Christopher Hampton on Oct. 19, calling the teen's death an accident.
Hampton, a student at Cesar Chavez High School, went missing on the lake on July 17 and his body was found the next day at the bottom of the lake.
The following narrative of the drowning was released by the medical examiner:
“The decedent is a 15-year-old male who was reportedly swimming in the Show Low Lake with multiple other youths following football practice earlier in the day. He reportedly had swum from the end of the dock to a buoy that was approximately 30 yards away, and the water was approximately 25 deep in that area of the lake. After the group had left the lake and returned to where they were staying, the decedent was noted as being missing.”
The medical examiner noted evidence of Hampton being submerged in the water including pale and wrinkled hands. Internal evidence of submersion was also noted including hyperinflation of the lungs and fluid within the sphenoid sinus.
The report also said no drugs were found in Hampton's system and he had no chronic medical conditions.
A report dated July 18 from the Navajo County Medical Examiner's Office, the agency that responded to the drowning, was also released as part of the final report. It said Hampton's absence was only noticed as the group was getting ready to leave for the day.
"When the group was ready to leave the lake, a head count was not conducted, and the group began to leave. One of the students asked where the decedent was and no one had seen him for some time," the report said. "When the group went back to check for him, he was nowhere to be seen. A quick search was conducted and 911 was called."
The Navajo County ME also noted that Hampton might not have been able to swim.
"Information was brought to the attention of the officers on scene that the decedent did in fact go into the water, but he did not know how to swim," the report said.
Around two weeks after Hampton's death, multiple school administrators, including the principal, athletic director and head football coach, were placed on leave as the teen's death was investigated.
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