What exactly caused Lily Ledbetter’s death still remains a mystery more than a month after she was found unconscious in her Virgin Islands apartment.
The 22-year-old college student had been visiting the island from her native Alabama.
An accomplished dancer and project management major at Auburn University, Ledbetter intended to spend her summer working at an animal shelter.
But on 6 June, a concerned citizen reported her unconscious. Twenty minutes later, she was declared dead.
Virgin Island Police Department spokesperson Glen Dratte told The Independent on Tuesday that toxicology results are still pending, but did not elaborate on what may have led to the young woman’s sudden passing.
Here’s everything we know about the case:
What happened?
On the day of her death, a “concerned citizen” called 911 around 12.33pm reporting that Ledbetter was unconscious.
When first responders arrived at Ledbetter’s apartment in the Estate Enighed neighbourhood on the island of St John, she was showing no signs of life.
Around 12.53pm, she was declared dead.
Dr Francisco Landron told Fox News Digital that an autopsy was performed on Ledbetter, but the results were inconclusive.
“It was basically a negative autopsy,” the medical examiner told the outlet. “There is no injury, nothing to explain the cause of the death.”
Where is the investigation headed?
The Virgin Islands Police Department told The Independent that investigators are still awaiting toxicology results.
If a cause and manner of death can’t be determined based on those results, Dr Landron said that he would proceed with “forensic microscopic studies on tissues such as the heart.” The medical examiner noted that foul play is not suspected.
“It could be alcohol. It could be opiates,” Dr Landron said.
Who was Lily Ledbetter?
Ledbetter was raised in Opelika, Alabama, according to her obituary.
“To see Lily dance was awe-inspiring. She was absolutely captivating, and her passion illuminated the stage,” the tribute for the late young woman read. “Lily was an accomplished, multi-award-winning dancer. In dance, Lily was truly free- free to be herself -free to express herself.”
In 2019, she graduated as an honours student from Opelika High School, where she was active with the dance team, show choir, and band.
“I will always remember the twinkle in your eye and the love that filled the room when you walked in,” her former dance teacher Mandy Moore wrote in a heartfelt Facebook post. “I only wished I had held on and never let you go when I saw you a few weeks ago. I am so thankful that you came home to [our dance studio] and I got one of those big Lily hugs. Your legacy of love and light will forever live on inside our studio.”
Ledbetter was pursuing a building science and project management degree at Auburn University and competed with the university’s women’s rowing club.
She was set to graduate next year.
Before her death, Ledbetter had been working at a local animal shelter in St John.
“She was a good person. It’s really sad,” a coworker, who declined to share their name, told Fox News Digital. “She was a wonderful young person, who really liked spending time with the cats and dogs.”
