Dearborn High School Student's Funeral On Friday

DEARBORN, MI — Ryan Feeney, a popular Dearborn High School senior, recently died. Tragedy struck in Florida where the 17-year-old was vacationing on Spring Break. Although an official cause of death has not been determined, alcohol appears to have played a significant role, according to Florida police.

A Ft. Lauderdale Police Department report indicated that officers were called at 4 a.m. to a house where Feeney was found by friends not breathing on April 7. Reports said he had been intoxicated and belligerent, so Ryan's friends persuaded him to go to bed, according to a Detroit Free Press report. The home had been rented for a dozen teens by the adults on the trip, the newspaper reported.

At 4 a.m., Feeney’s friends, ages 16 to 18, found him snoring loudly and, moments later, not breathing, police reports said. The Detroit Free Press reported that one friend began performing CPR while another called 911. According to the police report, shortly after Ryan was transported by EMS to a nearby hospital.

Annette Feeney and other family members made quick arrangements to fly to Florida after being notified of her son’s condition, according to a police report. The teen was hospitalized in critical condition and died on April 13.

Visitation will be held Thursday for Feeney from 12-9 p.m. at the Dearborn Chapel of Howe-Peterson Funeral Home, located at 22546 Michigan Ave, according to the funeral home's website. Funeral Mass will take place on Friday, April 21st, at 11 am at Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Dearborn, 22430 Michigan Ave.

Ryan was a well-liked student who played on the tennis team, Dearborn Public Schools Director of Marketing and Public Relations David Mustonen told the Free Press. Mustonen told the newspaper district officials focused on supporting Ryan's family and other students at the school.

"At this point in time, the only contact we've had with the family is trying to express our support for them and offer any kind of assistance that we can," Mustonen told the Free Press.

A GoFundMe account was set up to raise money for Ryan's Feeney’s family. A total of $38,180 has been raised since the page was set up 11 days ago. People expressed sympathy on the page after his passing.

“I was just reading that Ryan passed away today....so sad.....may he Rest In Peace,” Carol Hollman wrote.

“You’re in are thoughts always, God Bless,” wrote Patricia Naczas Merna.

The excessive consumption of alcohol in a single binge is blamed for more than 2,200 deaths of Americans each year is attributed to what is called alcohol poisoning, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Ingesting large amounts of alcohol in a short time "can shut down critical areas of the brain that control breathing, heart rate and body temperature — resulting in death," according to the CDC's website.

Photo of Ryan Feeney from GoFundMe