Salvador Preciado, 17-Year-Old Panorama High Football Player, Died After Alcohol Binge at Party, Mom Says

Facebook

Preciado was the Pythons' No. 77.

A 17-year-old Panorama Senior High School football player might have died over the weekend as a result of a night of binge drinking, according to reports.

Salvador Preciado was found dead about 9 a.m. Saturday in a home in the 8500 block of Cedros Avenue in Panorama City, according to the L.A. County Coroner's office. Coroner's officials told the Weekly it's not clear what killed him -- they haven't done an autopsy yet.

But the teen's mother, Irma Guevara, told CBS Los Angeles that ...

View Larger Map

... she thinks Preciado was drinking at a party Friday night and that he got so sick he vomited. Friends told the station the teen fell and hit his head at the party.

A partygoer told CBS, "I heard it was his first time drinking.''

The mom also told reporters that her son hadn't come home after the party -- which was unusual -- and that she tried to find him that morning. She said she had given him permission to attend.

Preciado reportedly was found at a friend's house.

Sgt. Kirk Kahoe of the LAPD's Mission Division told the Weekly this isn't a homicide case but rather, at this point, a routine death investigation:

No one knows what caused him to die and until the coroner comes across with someone having done something untoward, then no, it's not a homicide investigation. We have to keep our minds open.

The party was reportedly thrown to celebrate the football player's 18th birthday, which would have been March 18.

Grief counselors were at the school today as friends lamented the boy's passing. Manuel Bernal posted this on Facebook:

In school, almost everybody is sad or crying including the teachers over the loss of a very good student who played football with 77 on his back. Today the whole school stands quiet as a sign of respect for a classmate who has left this world. This person is Salvador Preciado. Rest in peace my friend will see each other when the time comes.

[Update at 3:57 p.m.]: The LAPD this afternoon issued a statement acknowledging that alcohol could be the culprit:

Arriving officers found Salvador Preciado lying on the floor of the apartment where Los Angeles City Fire Department personnel had pronounced him dead.

Preciado attended Panorama High School and was a resident of Panorama City. Investigators learned that Preciado had been at a party with several friends on Friday evening where he drank a variety of alcoholic beverages before he "passed out". A friend drove him to another friend's apartment where they called Preciado's mother to inform her of his condition. Those in the apartment fell asleep and awoke at around 8:45 a.m. when Preciado's mother arrived to pick him up. Preciado was unresponsive and paramedics were called.

Cops say that, for now, no foul play is suspected.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]