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Coroner: Columbus 1st grader treated for flu, scarlet fever before death

Posted at 5:48 PM, Feb 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-03 10:47:43-05

COLUMBUS, Ind. -- A 7-year-old Columbus girl was treated for the flu and scarlet fever before her death, according to the coroner. 

Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting said Savanna Jessie was found unresponsive in her home Thursday morning and rushed to Columbus Regional Hospital where she was pronounced dead. 

Nolting said the child was being treated after testing positive for influenza B, strep throat and scarlet fever. 

READ | Rate of flu deaths in Indiana slowing, but more still reported

An autopsy will be performed by a forensic pathologist to determine her exact cause of death. 

Nolting says a final ruling on her cause of death is pending review of medical records, toxicology and histology reports and could take up to three weeks. 

According to a YouCaring page set up for the family, Savanna leaves behind her father, mother and several siblings. 

"Savanna was a beautiful, funny, loving little girl. She had a very wonderful and tight-knit family," page organizer Linda Schadenfroh posted. "She was not the type to complain about the things she didn't have or what others did have. Savanna valued everything she had.  She was a fly by the seat of the pants kind of girl. She loved everybody and everybody loved her."

Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation released a statement Friday afternoon saying a first grader at CSA Lincoln Elementary School had died. 

You can read their full statement and information to parents below. 

 

 

 

 

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