Coroner still uncertain of cause of runner’s death

By LEONARD GLENN CRIST
The Stark County coroner still doesn’t know what caused the death of 17-year-old runner Ryan Johnson.

A toxicology screen recently came back negative, said Rick Walters, an investigator with the coroner’s office. An autopsy performed just after Johnson’s death was inconclusive.

Walters said pathologists were looking into possible abnormalities in Johnson’s heart. The coroner’s office has sought a second opinion through the Cleveland Clinic on some of the findings, Walters said.

A final autopsy report might be released later this week, Walters said.

A member of the West Branch track team, Johnson had just completed running a relay race at West Branch’s Heacock Stadium on April 15 when he collapsed and lost consciousness. He was later pronounced dead at Alliance Community Hospital.