Ketchikan boy dies after collapsing Monday; state medical examiner requests autopsy

A Ketchikan boy collapsed and stopped breathing Monday morning and died at a local hospital, Alaska State Troopers said. The State Medical Examiner's Office has asked that his body be taken to Anchorage for an autopsy.

Troopers and North Tongass EMS were called at 7:05 am to a report of an unconscious juvenile in Ketchikan, according to the troopers' incident report. Family members told responders the boy had collapsed and stopped breathing shortly afterward.

People at the scene performed CPR before EMS crews arrived. The crews took the boy to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Troopers posted the report Tuesday morning and listed the case as a death investigation. They did not release the boy's name or age or say what led to his collapse.

The medical examiner's office was notified of the death. State law requires the State Medical Examiner's Office to investigate deaths that are sudden in apparent good health, unattended by a physician or unexplained. The Anchorage-based office decides how extensive a post-mortem examination will be, and it arranges and pays for moving remains when it needs them for its work.

The office makes autopsy reports available to next of kin on written request once a case is closed. Closing a case and releasing the report can take a few days to a few weeks, according to the office. On rare occasions, cases that need more testing can take longer.