Cause of death revealed for 19-year-old Air Force Academy cadet found dead in her dorm room

A super-fit Air Force Academy cadet found lifeless in her dorm room last month died of a tragic cause that ‘could have been prevented’.

A US Air Force Academy cadet found lifeless in her Colorado dorm room last month died of pneumonia — a tragedy that could have been prevented, according to one medical expert.

Avery Koonce, 19, of Tyler, Texas, died September 4 as the result of “paeniclostridium sordelli sepsis complicating para-influenza laryngotraceobronchitis,” according to an autopsy report from the El Paso County Coroner’s Office.

“In essence she died of untreated pneumonia,” said famed forensic pathologist Dr Michael Baden, who reviewed the autopsy report obtained by The Post.

United States Air Force Academy Cadet Avery Koonce was found unconscious in her dorm room. Picture: Facebook/ X

The coroner described paeniclostridium sordelli as a “relatively rare but potentially fatal anaerobic bacteria” that is “associated with a toxic shock-like syndrome that can rapidly progress to death.” But it was “secondary” to the para-influenza — or viral lung infection — the coroner’s report found.

Baden, the former chief medical examiner of NYC, theorised the bacteria “could have been treated with penicillin” and the virus could have been addressed with fluids and antibodies.

“She first had the viral infection that diminished her immunity, so the bacteria were able to flourish,” he explained, adding that her death was not related to any “pre-existing abnormality.”

In the days before Koonce’s demise, she likely would have shown symptoms, such as coughing, fever and difficulty breathing, he said.

Avery Koonce was a member of the US Air Force Academy’s Class of 2028 and an athlete on its Women’s Track and Field team. Picture: Facebook/ X

The autopsy report found the first-year cadet had a chronic cough that got worse.

Still, “it was a curable situation with antibiotics,” said Baden, noting that sometimes sick people don’t seek treatment because they don’t realise how sick they actually are.

The El Paso coroner declined to comment.

Koonce’s family and the Academy didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Koonce was a high school track star who was a member of the academy’s track and field team.

A sprinter at Thrall High School in Taylor, Texas, she ran 100 metres in 12.12 seconds and 200 metres in 25.67 seconds.

“Our daughter Cadet Avery Koonce was an incredible bright light in this broken world,” Koonce’s parents, Eric and Kelly Koonce, said in a statement released by the academy a few days after her tragic death. “Our lives will forever be diminished because of her absence.”

This story originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission