A DeKalb County high school student died two months ago from a previously undiagnosed heart defect, autopsy findings show.
Elyse Imani Purefoy, 17, collapsing while running on the track at Arabia Mountain High School on June 10. She was rushed to an area hospital, where she died. She would have started her senior year this week.
Patrick Bailey, director of the DeKalb Medical Examiner’s Office, said the death was caused by cardiac dysrhythmia, due to an anomaly of the left coronary artery.
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A straight-A student, Elyse was president of her school’s Beta Club and also worked part-time at a local Zaxby’s. After her death, friends and family members remembered her as a natural leader and a hard worker.
“She was a wonderful person, a wonderful spirit,” her father, Hank Purefoy, said after her death. “She was so excited and so happy, working on college applications and talking about college and dancing.”
Elyse started cheerleading while in third grade and was captain of her squad in seventh and eighth grades, her family said. She also loved dance and made the high school team for her senior year. Elyse hoped to be a member of a college dance team and to one day run her own business.
Days after her death, Elyse’s co-workers released balloons in her honor. Several people also gathered at a candlelight vigil, sharing stories of the ambitious teen. Former teachers and a principal also attended the vigil, included one who flew more than 2,000 miles after learning of her death.
Others shared comforting words on an online fundraising page created to assist the family.
“I am so proud to have passed on my knowledge in the classroom to a young lady that always achieved academics to the highest standards,” Arabia Mountain science teacher Jimmy Westbrooks wrote.
In addition to her parents, Elyse is survived by two sisters and two brothers.
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