GRAND LEDGE, Mich. — A college student was found dead in her Winona Lake, Indiana, dorm room Friday, only 10 days after she began exhibiting novel coronavirus symptoms.
The family of Bethany Nesbitt, 20, of Grand Ledge, Michigan, confirmed Wednesday that she had been awaiting her COVID-19 test results and died of a blood clot in her lung while self-isolating.
“The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism — the result of a blood clot — widely recognized as a common cause of death in COVID-19 patients,” her brother, Stephen Nesbitt, tweeted.
Our hearts are shattered. My sweet sister, Bethany, died as she slept in her dorm room Thursday night. She was 20. She was COVID-19 positive. The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism—the result of a blood clot—widely recognized as a common cause of death in COVID-19 patients. pic.twitter.com/w6ky17Ra8v
— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) November 3, 2020
The third-year psychology major had asthma and was previously taken to the emergency room, where doctors determined Nesbitt likely had COVID-19 but seemed to be recovering, CBS News reported.
“After a complete investigation and autopsy, the cause of death has been ruled natural due to a pulmonary embolus that had not been previously detected,” Kosciusko County Coroner Anthony Ciriello said in a statement. “While COVID did play a role in contributing to the death, it was not caused by COVID.”
Nesbitt’s family noted, however, that blood clots are “widely recognized as being one of the most common causes of death among COVID-19 patients,” MLive.com reported.
According to the outlet, Nesbitt was the youngest of nine children and attended Grace College.
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Cox Media Group
