Mystery Surrounds College Wrestler's Death
Why Dammion Heard's parents don't believe he took his own life.
April 17, 2014— -- Dammion Heard’s parents still can’t make any sense of their son’s death.
Heard, a scholarship wrestler at Western State Colorado University, was found dead in a field two weeks ago, his SUV located nearby. The 20-year-old’s cause of death was listed as strangulation by hanging. His parents Gary and Jamie Heard say police told them he took his own life.
“He was always upbeat,” Gary Heard said in an interview with ABC affiliate WFAA-TV. “He never had any issues with depression or anxiety.”
His parents say phone records indicate he planned on meeting a girl the morning following his disappearance.
He was also involved in a fight the night before he died, police said, according to his parents.
And perhaps most suspicious of all, Heard’s parents say police told them that surveillance footage shows the student filling up his Saturn just before he died.
“None of it adds up,” Gary Heard said. “It all just seemed really fishy.”
Police told ABC News that they’re waiting on autopsy results. An earlier press release did not mention a possible suicide but stated, “no suspects are being pursued at this time” and that “the investigation into Dammion Heard’s death is ongoing”.
In the meantime, support from Heard’s friends continues to pour in, with the Texas native remembered on campus and across social media. Friend Francisco Marquez was struck by Heard’s personality.
“He would brighten up any room he stepped in,” Marquez said.
Heard’s parents say they plan on hiring their own investigator, hoping to unravel their son’s death. ABC News consultant and former FBI agent Brad Garrett said some details about the death need to be revealed.
“You certainly would want to investigate the physical altercation, to see if someone wanted to harm him,” Garrett said.
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