DANVILLE — For nearly a month, classmates suspected that San Ramon Valley High School freshman Benjamin Curry killed himself, opinions shared by local media. But an autopsy report, obtained exclusively by this news agency Tuesday, determined that the teenager died of an accidental drowning while attending swim class.
Now the question is how it could have happened.
Video of the pool area as class ended showed the 15-year-old Danville resident going under the water, and other students swimming to the edge of the pool and getting out and leaving the facility, according to the autopsy report. It wasn’t until an hour later, when a new swim class entered the area, that Curry’s body was spotted at the bottom of the pool.
The fact that the school did not act strongly to counteract the rumors that their son committed suicide led Curry’s family to hire attorney Andy Schwartz. The district, he says, let the incorrect story of a suicide swirl for weeks despite the immediate knowledge of surveillance footage capturing the accident and the context of Curry participating in his normally scheduled swim class when the accident happened.
“Class was dismissed without him and the teacher in charge of the class left Benjamin behind. The school knew that and didn’t make the effort to correct the false narrative that they knew was out there,” said Schwartz, adding that Curry knew how to swim. “He was found in his bathing suit. He went swimming. He didn’t commit suicide.”
San Ramon Valley Unified School District spokeswoman Elizabeth Graswich said they could not comment on an active police investigation and directed questions to Danville police or coroner officials.
“Our thoughts continue to be with the student’s family and loved ones, as well as our students and staff,” she said.
The 16-page Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office autopsy and toxicology report provides the clearest picture yet of what happened that May 8 afternoon on the Danville campus, and it contradicts media reports where students speculated on camera that Curry may have intentionally drowned himself because he had tried to kill himself before.
The freshman, wearing a black swimsuit, as noted by forensic pathologist Dr. Arnold Josselson, attended his normal fourth period physical education swimming class from 11:40 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Danville Police school resource officer Kyle Rhoton told a coroner’s deputy what happened next based on surveillance footage of the pool that he watched just hours after the boy’s death.
Rhoton reported seeing Curry in the pool with “multiple” other students at the end of class around 12:30 p.m.
“He observed the decedent submerge and not surface. It did not appear any other students were involved with the decedent going under water,” the report said. “Due to camera angles, it was unclear if the decedent remained under the surface of the water or if he surfaced in another area of the pool.”
As class ended, other students were seen swimming to the edge of the pool and leaving the pool area, but due to camera angles, it was unclear if Curry left the pool or if he remained in the pool, the coroner’s deputy wrote. The video showed no more activity until 1:40 p.m. when the fifth period swim class arrived after the lunch break, Schwartz said.
About 10 minutes after the start of the swim session, some students observed their classmate underwater and alerted a different P.E. teacher who jumped into the pool and removed Curry with help from students, according to the report.
An excerpt from a Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office autopsy report shows investigators do not believe Benjamin Curry killed himself.
That teacher alerted staff and began CPR. Rhoton was notified via radio at 1:51 p.m., and assisted with life-saving measures until emergency crews arrived, the report said. Curry was taken to Kaiser hospital in Walnut Creek, where he was declared dead.
The toxicology report found “therapeutic levels” of antidepressants and a trace amount of marijuana in Curry’s system, but investigators did not indicate either played any role in his death.
The report also indicated Curry had a history of depression and anxiety, and a family member told investigators he had “suicidal ideations,” but in the end they found no evidence Curry tried to kill himself.
“Although the decedent suffered from depression, there is no indication the decedent intended to drown himself,” the coroner concluded.
“He was a popular young man,” Schwartz said. “You read in media reports that he was bullied, but it doesn’t appear to be the case.”
On the day of the accident, San Ramon Valley High principal Jason Krolikowski told the East Bay Times the public should not speculate about a cause before a thorough investigation could be completed.
“I know there are a lot of rumors and students asking questions,” he said at the time. “It is important that we continue to discourage the spreading of rumors and give Danville police time to complete their investigation.”
In media reports in the days after Curry’s death, classmates speculated that he killed himself due to struggles with mental illness and bullying. Schwartz said that perception has continued over the last month and devastated the family.
“It just adds to their pain,” he said. “It’s your worst nightmare as a parent.”
One student told the East Bay Times that he had seen Curry in the locker right before class started, happy and laughing.
“This is an unspeakable tragedy,” Schwartz said. “He was a wonderful young man.”
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By Pete Bennett
The re-posting of articles sole purpose is to set in stone what was stated. The added elements are for navigation, validation and correlating to related incidents. Mr. Bennett connections to these incidents parallel his history of the untoward connection to police corruption and the conviction of the District Attorney.
Alamo man who died in burning vehicle identified By Rick Hurd Contra Costa Times POSTED: 09/04/2014 11:07:54 AM PDT0 COMMENTS UPDATED: 09/04/2014 11:30:27 AM PDT ALAMO -- A man who died after he was trapped in a burning vehicle over the weekend has been identied as an Alamo man.
The California Highway Patrol said 60-year-old Michael Sevenau died after the silver 2000 Jaguar he was driving went off the road, hit a tree and caught fire. The wreck happened just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
An investigation showed the Jaguar was traveling east on Stone Valley Road and wound up in the west side of the road before colliding first with some mailboxes, CHP Officer John Fransen said.
The Jaguar then spun around, broke through a wooden fence and down a dirt embankment before hitting the tree. Police are still investigating whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the wreck.
Investigators have not yet determined if Sevenau suffered a medical issue while he was behind the wheel. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Contact Rick Hurd at 925-945-4789 and follow him at Twitter.com/3rderh
The Scherer Murders and the Mormons near Smith Road The Contra Costa District Attorney Investigators
William Thomas Schramm April, 17, 1989 - April 26, 2013 Resident of Alamo Will Schramm, age 24, passed away very unexpectedly on Friday, April 26 from injuries following a car accident. Will was born in Seattle, Washington and his family moved to Alamo in 1994 where he attended Rancho Romero, Stone Valley and Monte Vista. Will also attended DVC, Butte and Chico State. Family and many friends shared memories of Will at a candlelight vigil in Oak Hill Park on Monday, April 29. A free spirit, Will referred to himself as a Time Traveling Diamond who enjoyed baseball, music, golf, skateboarding and walking the Labyrinth. He had many, many friends who spoke lovingly of the difference Will has made in their lives. Will is survived by his parents, Tom and Dory Schramm; his brothers Mark and Jack Schramm; his grandparents, Roger and Emily Ehm and Tom and Nancy Schramm; his many aunts, uncles, cousins and countless friends. Family and friends are invited to a memorial service in Will's honor on May 23, 2013 at 2:00 at the San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church, 902 Danville Blvd, Alamo, CA 94507. We would like to build a labyrinth in Will's memory. If you can, please direct your gifts to the San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church, SRVUMC. Please make your gifts in Will's name. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/contracostatimes/obituary.aspx?pid=164599115#sthash.N8snpkC6.dpuf
