Officials: 16-year-old who collapsed after flag football game died of natural causes

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A 16-year-old who died after a flag football game in Las Vegas died from natural causes, according to officials.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office said Ashari Hughes died from an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from left coronary sinus of valsalva. Her manner of death was described as natural.

On Jan. 5, Hughes was playing flag football for Desert Oasis High School when she collapsed and was taken to a hospital.

Hughes died shortly after.

The 16-year-old’s parents said she was having heart problems, but hadn’t received an official diagnosis before her death.

The National Library of Medicine describes Hughes’ cause of death as a “rare congenital abnormality” that represents less than 3% of coronary anomalies.

According to KVVU, a journal published in 2016 said patients with the abnormality can have symptoms which include myocardial ischemia, a condition also known as reduced blood flow, arrhythmias, or sudden cardiac death (SCD).

The journal said the condition can be diagnosed with an angiography and surgery is typically recommended to treat the condition.

Two vigils are planned in honor of Hughes.

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