Were boys playing choking game when they died?

Were boys playing choking game when they died?

By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter

Kitsap County authorities say two 14-year-old junior-high-school classmates who died in separate incidents in the past week may have been playing a choking game.

Blake Whitworth and Zachary Kvistad were found dead by relatives in their homes Saturday and Monday, respectively. It's unclear whether the Kingston Junior High School students were friends or whether their deaths are connected, said Kitsap County sheriff's spokesman Scott Wilson.

The teens' deaths come eight months after a Grays Harbor County boy was admitted to a Pierce County hospital with brain damage after playing a choking game. Also, in two separate incidents in September, a Seattle girl and a Tacoma boy died after apparently hanging themselves at their homes — authorities suspected both died while playing choking games.

In the games, people try to choke themselves into unconsciousness or near unconsciousness to obtain a high.

"Some kids have the peer pressure aspect of it. Other kids are looking for the rush," said Kate Blake, who runs a Web site on choking games. "You get the floaty sensation right before you pass out. Apparently once the pressure is released, it's another similar rush."

Since her 11-year-old son's choking-game death in October, the Florida woman has given presentations to hundreds of kids on the danger of the games. She said choking games have been around for generations.

"They [kids] are shocked to find out kids are dying from doing this," Blake said. "I've heard them say over and over, 'It's not a big deal, it's just passing out' ."

The Kitsap County Coroner's Office initially ruled Whitworth's and Kvistad's deaths suicides, but has since changed the boys' manner of death to undetermined, Wilson said.

"We have two incidents back-to-back involving two 14-year-olds from the same junior high school," Wilson said. "They [coroner's staff] want to make sure they get the right determination."

Sheriff's investigators don't believe the boys were slain. Wilson said deputies are helping the coroner's staff investigate the manner of each boy's death.

Relatives of the teens couldn't be reached Wednesday night for comment.

"Both families are terming the death of their children to be 'tragic accidents,' " according to a memo posted on the North Kitsap School District Web site.

After Whitworth's death Saturday, officials with the district and sheriff's deputies began investigating threats against people who may have bullied the eighth-grader. A Kingston Junior High student posted threats against alleged bullies on her MySpace.com page.

On Monday, the school placed her on emergency expulsion. She has not been arrested, Wilson said.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com