HOUSTON – The mysterious, sudden death of an 18-year-old Texas Southern University student is under investigation by several agencies, KPRC Local 2 has learned.
The Harris County Medical Examiner has completed an autopsy on Matthew Alexander, of Beaumont, but is awaiting further lab results before releasing a cause of death, according to the student's father.
"We don't know. We're just waiting. When we saw him, he was fine," Dennis Alexander said by phone.
Dennis Alexander said, as far as he knew, his son did not have a pre-existing medical condition.
TSU officials report that Matthew Alexander had just returned to his campus housing on Sunday, after Thanksgiving break at home in Beaumont with his family, when he started to feel ill.
"He did, in fact, go to the emergency room, but the wait was too long and he came back to his room," said Eva Pickens, a TSU spokeswoman.
Several hours later, Matthew Alexander was found with a weakened pulse and in bad shape, according to Pickens. He died a short time later at St. Joseph's Medical Center.
"You see somebody one day and they're fine, the next they're gone, it's kind of hard," a friend said.
The TSU police department is leading the investigation. The agency has possession of Alexander's cellphone and is awaiting word from the medical examiner, Dennis Alexander said.