Leading off today: With meningitis having been ruled out by the health department, the cause of Queensbury football player Johnathan Vasiliou's death this week may never be known.
Officials say they have no conclusive evidence of what suddenly sickened the 16-year-old junior, and no autopsy is planned, The Times Union reported Thursday.
"That is the question we're probably never going to be able to answer," Queensbury school physician Dr. Dan Larson told the newspaper.
Larson said Vasiliou's medical records show he had been vaccinated for meningococcus, and tests showed Vasiliou did not have a highly contagious form bacterial meningitis, which state health department officials say should calm concerns of students who recently came in contact with him. Larson said it's possible a rarer form of bacterial meningitis that is unlikely to be contagious killed Vasiliou.
"I have no way to confirm those beliefs," Larson said. "But based on conversations I've had and what I've seen, I believe it was some form of bacterial meningitis."
Vasiliou had a mild cold the week before he died, but was otherwise healthy, Queensbury Superintendent Douglas Huntley said. The teen noticed swelling on one side of his face on Monday, and a dentist gave the youth an antibiotic. On Monday evening, he went to Glens Falls Hospital and was later transported to Albany Medical Center, where his condition worsened. He died Tuesday.
Separately, Queensbury officials confirmed the football team, which canceled Wednesday's practice, will play its scheduled game Saturday against Shaker. The 1:30 p.m. game at Queensbury will be dedicated to Vasiliou.
A twist in Frysinger case: Former Corning football and lacrosse star Jordan Frysinger, 19, who initially pleaded guilty to a felony for failing to get help for an unconscious girl he had sex, may end up going to trial instead, a newspaper reported over the weekend.
Steuben County Court Judge Peter Bradstreet has indicated he may not be comfortable with Frysinger’s plea agreement, which calls for a jail sentence of six months, District Attorney Brooks Baker told the paper. Judges do not have to follow the terms of recommendations worked out by prosecutors and defense attorneys.
Baker, who knows the families of both the defendant and the victim, withdrew from the case Tuesday. Ontario County DA Michael Tantillo will take over the case.
If the plea arrangement is vacated, Frysinger can re-enter his guilty plea and face the possibility of up to seven years in prison, or he can withdraw his plea and go to trial. If Frysinger withdraws a plea, he will likely face additional felony charges that could include first-degree rape, which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, the paper reported.
Frysinger, a 2011 Corning graduate, quit the Illinois football program this summer. He has been in jail since he pleaded guilty June 29.
