Police Determine Cause of Fenton Man's Death

Police have determined alcohol poisoning caused the , a 24-year-old Fenton man who was found dead in a bedroom in February.

“There was some evidence of natural disease and some visible signs of carbon monoxide, but the actual cause of death was alcohol consumption,” Aro said.

In February Aro said an officer was dispatched to the 700 block or North East Street around 7:40 p.m. Feb. 5 for a death investigation. Aro said officers met with Harding’s father, who had been at work and returned home to find his son unresponsive in a back bedroom of the house.

Aro said officers performed CPR unsuccessfully. Harding was transported to Genesys Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Aro said officers and Harding’s father noticed a strong odor of natural gas in the house and a burner on the stove turned on.

Harding was born May 13, 1986 in Flint and is the son of Douglas Dean Harding and Lisa Lynn Krusyna. He graduated from in 2004. He was an avid golfer, loved bowling and enjoyed dancing. His friends said he was a very sharp dresser, who was well mannered.

In February, his friends were shocked to hear of his death and said Harding was a fun person to be around.

"We tended to goof around in school together," said friend Derek Schultz, of Linden, who met Harding in kindergarten. "He was definitely a class clown. Zach liked to see other people smile and had a very comedic personality about himself. Zach was very friendly, confident, and funny."

Justin Padgett, of Fenton, said that Harding was truly a good person.

“Zach was one of the friends that you could confide in with anything, and I mean anything,” Padgett said in February. “I will never forget him or his uncanny capability to make someone laugh or tell a joke. Certainly, we were not perfect angels, and sometimes we were mischievous, but we were good kids.”