Otto Warmbier Cause of Death News: U.S. Student Detained in North Korea Suffered Serious Brain Function Loss
The family of Otto Warmbier, the U.S. student detained for 17 months in North Korea, announced his death on Monday. Following his release and return to America on June 13, Warmbier passed away at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
The official cause of his death has not yet been revealed, but doctors earlier determined he suffered serious brain function loss. He was 22 years old.
Warmbier's parents, Fred and Cindy, released a statement to the media citing their son was now "at peace." The family said when Warmbier returned home, he had a look of anguish but his face changed when he died because "he was home, and we believed he could sense that."
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Doctors who examined him upon his return described Wambier's condition as "unresponsive wakefulness." He was breathing on his own and could blink, but he couldn't talk nor respond to what was going on around him. His scans revealed he suffered from serious loss of function in the brain and also had injuries linked to cardiopulmonary arrest.
Warmbier, a student from the University of Virginia, was on a trip to China in 2015 when he joined a five-day tour to North Korea that Young Pioneer Tours organized. He came to the country with 10 other U.S. citizens but he was arrested for stealing a propaganda sign from his hotel. His parents claimed the video allegedly showing their son stealing the poster was fabricated.
North Korea prevented Warmbier from leaving in January 2016 as he was facing trial for a serious offense against the government. His parents said their son was coerced into a confession. The government sentenced him to 15 years of hard labor.
U.S. government officials worked out Warmbier's release in March 2016 with the help of the United Nations. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed Warmbier's release on June 12 but he had to be medically evacuated. North Korea told the U.S. Warmbier had botulism a week before his release and went into a coma after drinking sleeping pills.
