The Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office has determined that a heart ailment killed a young woman who was found unconscious at a party last spring on the grounds of the Morse Mill Hotel.
Cassandra Patredis, 17, of O’Fallon was pronounced dead at an area hospital May 2, after emergency responders transported her there.
Patredis’ cause of death is listed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, said Angie Comte, medical secretary for the office. In layman’s terms, Patredis had an enlarged heart and died of natural causes, Comte said.
Deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the hotel, 8850 Morse Mill Spur Road, in Morse Mill, at about 9:20 p.m., in response to a complaint about the outdoor party, which included a disc jockey.
Deputies found several hundred people on the grounds and were told a woman had passed out and needed help, a Sheriff’s Office report said.
Authorities found the young woman behind the hotel, unconscious and not breathing. Deputies performed CPR and emergency medical personnel took her to the hospital, the report said.
The Medical Examiner’s Office signed off on the death certificate Sept. 22 after determining the woman’s cause of death.
Although the Sheriff’s Office did not suspect foul play, it investigated the death, and the medical examiner’s finding closes that investigation, Sheriff’s Capt. Ron Arnhart said.