SEMINOLE, TX (KWES) - A Seminole teenager was found unresponsive after a weekend house party and later pronounced dead, officials said.
Matthew Flores, 19, attended an "underage drinking party" Friday night in the 200 block of SW 23rd and was "likely killed by alcohol poisoning," according to Seminole Police Chief Bernie Kraft.
Officers and paramedics were called to the scene around 4 a.m. on Saturday, he said.
Flores was reportedly on the ground outside 201 SW 23rd when authorities arrived and another party attendee was attempting to perform CPR on him. Paramedics took over and rushed him to Seminole Memorial Hospital.
"A short time later, we found out he died," officials told NewsWest 9.
Toxicology reports are expected to be released within six weeks, investigators said.
Police did not find evidence of any illegal substances or drugs at the party aside from alcohol, according to Kraft.
As the investigation entered its fifth day, dozens of friends and relatives took to social media to share photos and memories of the 19-year-old.
"Matt was an amazing young man who we miss tremendously," loved ones wrote on a GoFundMe page created to help cover funeral expenses. "His smile would always light up our hearts and in our hearts he shall stay."
The donation fund raised more than $7,500 within four days, exceeding the $6,000 goal.
Flores graduated from Seminole High School in May and attended South Plains College, Kraft told NewsWest 9.
"We've met with the family and they're understandably traumatized," he said. "Underage drinking incidents always peak near the holidays because college students are coming home... but this is the first [underage drinking] death [in Seminole] I can remember in recent years."
Police are conducting an ongoing investigation of the alcohol-fueled party and working to identify the individuals who supplied minors, including Flores, with alcohol, Kraft added.
"We will be prosecuting," he told NewsWest 9. "It is a crime [to buy alcohol for minors] and there are deadly consequences."
Investigators said Wednesday they planned to file charges against at least two suspects.
"We're looking into several more people," Kraft said. "We've also warned [local businesses] to look out for fake IDs."
The police chief urged teenagers to "know their limits" and learn from Flores' tragic death.
