One teen dead, two hospitalized after Beaufort house party

A Beaufort teenager died early Sunday morning after a night of underage drinking at a house party on Parris Island Gateway.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and EMS were called to the home of 18-year-old William Thompson on Mint Farms Drive at about 1:50 a.m. after he was found nonresponsive, Capt. Bob Bromage said. He was transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Thompson was a senior at Whale Branch Early College High School, according to Beaufort County School District spokesman Jim Foster.

Deputies learned the boy had come home intoxicated a few hours earlier after attending a party at a home in the 500 block of Parris Island Gateway, where they then found several other underage partygoers, including two other 18-year-old boys passed out on couches.

Those teenagers were transported to Beaufort Memorial for treatment, though their conditions were unavailable from the Sheriff’s Office.

No parents were present at the home when deputies arrived, Bromage said.

Investigators are currently at the Parris Island Gateway home serving a search warrant and interviewing partygoers.

A forensic autopsy of Thompson is being performed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Toxicology studies to determine his blood alcohol level and the presence of any drugs will take several weeks.

Criminal charges will be considered for those responsible for providing alcohol to minors at the party.

This story was originally published April 10, 2016 at 12:18 PM with the headline "One teen dead, two hospitalized after Beaufort house party."