Nathan Valencia's death was determined to have been a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head. | Photo Courtesy Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity
Nathan Valencia's death was determined to have been a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head. | Photo Courtesy Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity
Homicide has been determined in the death of a University of Nevada student who died after participating in an amateur "fight night" boxing event that was being held by his fraternity.
ABC News reported that following an autopsy, 20-year-old Nathan Valencia's death was determined to have been a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head. His death has not been determined to have necessarily been a criminal act.
“A 20-year-old student Nathan Tyler Valencia died in Las Vegas after an amateur boxing fight, the young man died of a blunt trauma to the head in the middle of a charity event organized without authorization and without the accompaniment of medical personnel,” Moises Lopez wrote in a Dec. 1 Twitter post.
The deceased student's family have hired an attorney to investigate the boxing event they say was sanctioned by the university and is held annually.
"Our preliminary investigation reveals mistakes were made and safety precautions overlooked," a statement from Valencia's family said, according to ABC News. "We will be completing a full investigation to determine how UNLV and the Kappa Sigma Fraternity could allow and promote an event like this to take place."
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, following their investigations, said that there is "no information that there is any criminality on the part of the venue."