Teen found dead in Royal Palm Beach pond may have suffered medical episode, PBSO says
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ROYAL PALM BEACH — A Crestwood Middle School student whose body was found in a Royal Palm Beach retention pond on Christmas Day may have suffered a medical episode, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.
Family members discovered the body of Vensly Maxime, 14, shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday off Sweet Bay Lane near the Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center, three days after the teen was reported missing.
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A preliminary investigation done with the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office showed that Maxime may have had a medical episode prior to going into the water, PBSO said in a prepared statement Tuesday.
The preliminary findings showed no signs of injury to Maxime, and investigators do not believe that the teen drowned, according to the PBSO statement.
Maxime's family still has questions about what happened, in the wake of the sheriff's statement, his uncle, Yvenel Clermont, said Tuesday.
The family reported Maxime missing Dec. 22 after he failed to return home from school on the last day before winter break. Clermont said Tuesday that the teen had no known medical concerns.
"This is a perfectly healthy kid with no known medical history," he said. "He went to school on Wednesday. … If that day he was having a medical (issue) at the school, we need to know about it."
Clermont also raised concerns about search efforts to find Maxime.
PBSO records show that Palm Beach County School district police received a report regarding a missing student at about 4:45 p.m. Dec. 22. PBSO deputies responded to the Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center the following day after a person reported finding Maxime's backpack.
Deputies began a search that night that included the use of drones and a search-and-rescue dog. The search of the area ended shortly after midnight with efforts to find the teen unsuccessful.
Clermont said the family continued the search on their own for the next two days.
"It was me and my brothers that searched the woods until we were able to find his body exactly where we told the officials where he was," he said. "We've got a 14-year-old missing. Why did we have to do our own search until we found him?"
Amid calls for additional answers surrounding the teen's death, a community march is planned for Wednesday evening at Crestwood Middle School. The march is scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
According to the PBSO statement, detectives learned that Maxime met with a friend after school. The friend told investigators Maxime complained of not feeling well, so the two began walking home.
PBSO's statement said that for unknown reasons, Maxime began to behave in an unusual manner and became separated from his friend, who continued to walk home. The statement did not give any additional detail regarding Maxime's behavior.
On Tuesday, Crestwood Middle made grief counselors available to students and staff members. Principal Stephanie Nance wrote on the school's social-media pages that counseling also will be available when students return from the winter break Jan. 5.
The investigation into Maxime's death remains open, PBSO said. Anyone with information tis asked to contact Detective Jorge Gomez at 561-688-4052, or Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County at 800-458-TIPS (8477).
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jwhigham@pbpost.com
@JuliusWhigham
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Vensly Maxime may have suffered medical episode before death, PBSO says
