Autopsy: Boy’s Death Caused By Aneurysm

A 10-year-old Warden, Wash., boy whose death originally looked suspicious died of natural causes, a Spokane pathologist determined Monday.

Authorities found Simon Godinez’s body Sunday afternoon in a field about a block from his parents’ house. He had left home about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, and was reported missing at 9 p.m., Warden Police Chief Ken Krebs said.

Krebs said the location of the body initially led police to believe that Godinez had been struck by a car while walking on Elm Street, a gravel road in Warden.

Instead, Godinez apparently died of a brain aneurysm, Monday’s autopsy showed.

While the circumstances may not make the boy’s death any easier on his family, Krebs said he’s relieved to know that Godinez wasn’t killed by a hit-and-run driver in the town of 2,100 people.

A Warden resident for two years, Godinez was one of 63 fifth-graders at Warden Elementary School. Principal Jill Massa said counselors from the school and the Grant County Mental Health Center were available to help students and staff deal with the death.

, DataTimes