The family of an Alabama teen football star found dead in a creek after a night of partying are outraged after authorities confirmed the circumstances surrounding his death.
The body of 17-year-old Avery Pickle was found floating in Palmetto Creek in Elberta, Alabama, July 5, a day after he vanished from a Fourth of July house party nearby.
Investigators determined he died from an accidental drowning, but on Wednesday, his mother learned he was heavily intoxicated at his time of death, with a blood alcohol content level of 0.2% – more than twice the lawful limit of a driver of legal drinking age in the state of Alabama.
"We just don't understand how he could have been that intoxicated," Christina Coleman said of learning her son's toxicology results, WKRG-TV reported. "So that kind of hit hard."
Coleman said Avery was the only underage person at the party.
"To let someone get that intoxicated and not make sure they were okay. That's just not okay. I mean, it's not okay, especially knowing that he was a kid," she added.
Coleman also expressed her frustrations on Facebook Monday.
"Why? Why are they not being held accountable? Why are the right questions not being asked?' Coleman posted. "Something is not right!!! I don't care what the investigators say!!! Something isn't right!!! Pieces just don't fit!!!"
Investigators plan to soon send their findings to a grand jury to determine if any charges will be filed against fellow party goers.
"We can live with an accident, but what we can't live with is having nobody trying to take action or calling for help," Avery's sister, Alexis Fillingim, told the station. "They should have never been serving a minor child when they knew he was a minor child."
