Bethesda Teen Died From Alcohol Poisoning, Drowning

BETHESDA, MD — The Medical Examiner’s Office announced the cause of death of the Walt Whitman High School senior whose body was found in the woods Sunday.

Navid Nicholas Sepehri, 17, of Radnor Road in Bethesda, was found dead in a stream in a ravine near Bannockburn Swim Club on Laverock Lane Sunday, police said.

The Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore ruled Sepehri’s death as accidental Friday, and determined he died from acute alcohol intoxication complicated by drowning and hypothermia.

Sepehri was reported as a missing person Sunday afternoon, after he didn't return home from a party Saturday night.

Bethesda police officers responded to the report of a possible underage drinking party and disorderly persons outside of a home in the 6500 block of Elgin Lane Saturday night. Officers arrived to the home at about 10:30 p.m. and saw a group of about six juvenile males standing in the roadway.

Some of the party-goers ran away as the officers approached them. Police talked to the boys who stayed, and one of them was later identified as Sepehri, police said. One of the males told police they were at a party when the parents realized that "uninvited guests had brought alcohol to the party," police said. The parents asked everyone to phone their parents for a ride home.

Officers recognized that Sepehri may have been under the influence and confirmed with the boys that Sepehri would leave when they left, police said.

See Related:

• Underage Drinking Party Attended By Bethesda Teen Who Died
• Body Of Missing Teenager Found In Bethesda Woods: Police

Police said Sepehri's father, Frank, went into the police station at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday, looking for his son. Officers filed a missing person report for Sepehri Sunday afternoon.

A police search was initiated, aided by cell phone information for Sepehri’s phone provided by his family, police said.

Frank searched for his son for over 14 hours, The Washington Post reports. He was the one who located his son's body at about 4:58 p.m. Sunday in the 6500 block of Laverock Lane, about seven blocks from the party.

“It’s a disaster right now. I can’t believe it’s happening to us, happening to anybody,” Frank told The Washington Post.

Frank said his daughter helps him and his wife with the loss: “She says, ‘Stay strong. He’s with us.’ ”

In a letter sent to parents, Walt Whitman High School Principal Alan Goodwin said: "For those of you who knew Navid, we ask that you remember and celebrate his love of art and commitment to others. For those of you who did not know Navid, we ask that you support Navid's friends and family during this time of loss," the letter states.

Patch File Photo