By Jeffry Katarski
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, September 7, 2002

A Centre County child who collapsed during a Boy Scout outing in Indiana County in July apparently died from a buildup of a drug he was taking for a medical condition.

Andrew Michael Hecker, 11, of Port Matilda, died from elevated levels of the prescription drug Adderall, Indiana County Coroner Thomas Streams said Friday.

Toxicology findings indicate the drug buildup caused the boy to go into cardiac arrest and later die, Streams said.

Hecker collapsed and died the afternoon of July 3 while on a Boy Scout trip to Yellow Creek State Park, located about 10 miles east of Indiana.

The boy, who belonged to a troop based in Tyrone, Blair County, just had finished cleaning pontoon boats on the lake and was stepping ashore when he fell to the ground unconscious, according to witnesses.

Attempts by camp staff to revive the youth were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead a short time later at Indiana Regional Medical Center.

At the request of the family, Streams declined to say why the boy was using the medication or for how long. He said no other drugs or substances were found in the youth's system.

Adderall is a power drug most commonly used to treat hyperactivity and narcolepsy, a disorder that causes people to fall asleep without warning.

The drug can cause the heart and pulse to race and is not recommended for those with heart conditions or high blood pressure.

Hecker had 210 nanograms of the drug in his blood at the time of his death, according to Streams, who said toxic levels are reached at 150 nanograms.

There was no indication the youth had taken the wrong dosage of the drug or that it was incorrectly prescribed or administered, Streams said. He said the number of pills left in the boy's bottle was correct based on how many were prescribed and his medication schedule.

Testing done on the remaining pills, along with a sampling of others from the drugstore where the medication was obtained, determined that concentration levels in each tablet were consistent, Streams said.

Dr. Vimal Mittal, a forensic pathologist from Johnstown who investigated the death, said he believed the drug buildup resulted from the inability of the boy's body to properly metabolize and dispose of the medication. Darryl Mancinelli, director of the Penn's Woods Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said he hoped the family knowing why the boy died will bring some degree of closure for them. Hecker's troop belonged to the council, which was holding the outing at the park the day he died.

"We're still devastated by his loss, but at least the family now knows what happened," Mancinelli said. "They don't have to wonder or guess anymore."

Mancinelli described Hecker as a "shining star" in the Scouts who had earned numerous badges and who one day wanted to advance to Eagle Scout. "He had a lot of potential," said Mancinelli. "It's sad it will never be realized."

He has spoken to the boy's parents several times since their son's death but declined to say how they were doing.

"I'm really not in a position to speak for the family," he said.

Ken Bisbee, the park's manager, said he hoped the coroner's report will put to rest any speculation or rumors surrounding Hecker's death. One such rumor was that the boy died from a snake bite, a story that became so widespread it drove down attendance to the park this summer, Bisbee said.

"The one thing we did know was he didn't die from a snake bite," he said. "Hopefully, this (report) will put an end to people thinking he did."

Streams ordered the toxicology tests after an autopsy performed the day after the youth died could not determine the cause of death.