The 19-year-old Texas cadet who died at the U.S. Air Force Academy last month died from natural causes, according to a newly released autopsy report.
Avery Koonce of Taylor was a cadet fourth class — or freshman — when she died Sept. 4 after she was found unconscious in a dormitory at the academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Koonce had a chronic cough that severely worsened before her death and the El Paso County coroner’s office ruled she died as a result of sepsis that complicated a respiratory infection.
Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection and is a life-threatening medical emergency that happens when an infection a person already has triggers a chain reaction throughout the body, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The coroner wrote in the report the relatively rare anaerobic bacteria found in her lung tissue and blood is associated with a toxic shock-like syndrome that can rapidly progress to death.
Koonce, whose 19th birthday was days before her death, graduated earlier this year from Thrall High School, before continuing on to the academy where she was a member of the track and field team.
“We lost an incredible teammate last night,” academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind said in a news release posted to the academy’s Facebook page at the time of Koonce’s death. “While only with us for a short time, Avery positively impacted her unit, her intercollegiate team, and her class — her loss will be felt across USAFA.”
Koonce “lived life passionately,” had a servant’s heart “bigger than Texas,” was a fierce competitor and a good friend, her obituary reads. Her parents previously called her “an incredible bright light in this broken world.”
