A 17-year-old O’Fallon woman who attended a party on the Morse Mill Hotel grounds on Saturday (May 2) was found unconscious and was later pronounced dead.
The death is under investigation, but foul play is not suspected, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Deputies arrived at the hotel, in the 8800 block of Old Morse Mill Spur Road in Morse Mill, at 9:20 p.m. in response to a complaint about the outdoor party, which included a disc jockey.
When deputies arrived, they found several hundred people on the grounds and were told a woman had passed out and needed help, the report said.
Authorities found the young woman behind the hotel, unconscious and not breathing, the report said. Deputies performed CPR, and emergency medical personnel transported the woman to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving, the report said.
The Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating to determine the cause of death, according to the report.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Capt. Ron Arnhart said today (May 4) officers would not release the woman’s name until they could ensure that all family members had been notified.
The report said partygoers left safely; Arnhart said there were no arrests.
This was the second party at the Morse Mill Hotel over the weekend.
“There was one the night before,” Arnhart said. He said there were no arrests that night either.
Patrick Sheehan, owner of the Morse Mill Hotel, which is in west Jefferson County, said today he was upset about the young woman’s death.
He said an event coordinator had rented the campgrounds and that the hotel was locked. The plan for the two-night party, for which tickets were sold, included safety precautions, he said.
“This was a one-time event to bring kids in their 20s together in what I thought was a safe party,” Sheehan said. “There were 10 security guards and two sobriety checkpoints.”
There was no alcohol sold at the event, he said, but people were allowed to bring alcohol in.
Attendees were required to show proof of their age at the entrance, he said. Minors were allowed in, but were given wristbands identifying them as minors.
Sheehan said he believed the girl who died had a wristband identifying her as a minor. He said the DJ was set up on the hotel’s deck and that the teenager had collapsed in the hotel’s courtyard.
Arnhart said the event required a permit, but organizers did not have one.
“The matter will go to (county) Municipal Court,” Arnhart said.
Sheehan said he wanted to be “proactive” in dealing with the tragedy.
“There must be something we can do to make these kids think before they act,” Sheehan said. “I’d like to reach out to the family. I wish there was something I could do.”
He apologized to the Morse Mill Community, and said, “It will not happen again.
“Once is enough. There will be no more late-night events with music.”