Toxicology report confirms cause of death for student Sean Wu
His family says ‘This should in no way diminish his many achievements’
The Johnson County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed drug intoxication and complications from a pre-existing heart disease as the cause of death for Sean Wu, the Iowa freshman student who passed away last month. Wu, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was found unresponsive at Daum Residence Hall on Saturday, April 8 at 10:44 p.m. He was transported to the hospital where he later died.
Wu’s toxicology report indicated that he died from consuming Ecstasy, a party drug, which aggravated his pre-existing cardiological condition, a blood vessel illness called Kawasaki Disease.
Up until the release of Wu’s toxicology report, his cause of death was unknown. There was speculation that his death was alcohol related, as in a statement from the University of Iowa’s Office of Strategic Communication, Media Relations Director Anne Bassett said Wu had been drinking earlier in the evening on the day he died.
The University of Iowa released a statement on Tuesday in which Wu’s family stated that he was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease when he was 6 years old and had been receiving treatment ever since.
“His pre-existing condition was exacerbated by his tragic indiscretion (his first and only experience with “Ecstasy”) on April 8,” the Wu family said in the University’s statement. “This should in no way diminish his many achievements and the positive impact he had on many.”
The statement indicated that there is an ongoing investigation for more information.