Hosts Of Bethesda Underage Drinking Party Won’t Be Charged

BETHESDA, MD — Authorities released new details Monday in the case of a Bethesda teen who reportedly died from alcohol poisoning after walking home from a party. The homeowners who allegedly hosted the underage drinking party where the 17-year-old drank will not be charged in the incident, police said.

Navid Nicholas Sepehri, 17, of Radnor Road, was found dead in a stream in a ravine near Bannockburn Swim Club on Laverock Lane Sunday, December 10, police said. Police said he died from acute alcohol intoxication complicated by drowning and hypothermia.

Sepehri was reported as a missing person that Sunday afternoon, after he didn't return home from a party that Saturday night. The party was at a home on Elgin Lane.

Police said Monday that there is no indication that the homeowners furnished alcohol to the underage attendees. The homeowners told police that when they realized teens brought alcohol in their home, they told the party goers that no alcohol was allowed and contact some of the attendees' parents.

There will be no charges placed against the homeowners as there were no violations of the law observed by officers, police said.

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.

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

The Department is "examining the actions" of the officers who encountered Sepehri that night, police said. The Department is also in communication with Sepehri’s family and their counsel to make arrangements for them to view the body-worn camera footage that captured officers speaking with Sepehri on Elgin Lane.

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.

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.

The investigation into the circumstances of this event remains open, police said. Detectives are asking to speak with anyone who was with Sepehri at any point on the evening of December 9 and/or the early morning of December 10 or who has information relating to this investigation and who has not already contacted the Department. Those with information are asked to call the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.

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