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Student Found Dead in Kraut Creek at ASU; Blalock’s Death Due to Accidental Drowning, No Foul Play

By Jesse Wood & Paul T. Choate

Tyler Blalock – Courtesy ASU

Sept. 29, 2012. After a torrent of rain pummeled the High Country in the middle of the night, a body was found this morning in Kraut Creek on Appalachian State University’s southeast side of campus in Durham Park in the vicinity of the gazebo across the street from the Holmes Convocation Center.  

The body was discovered near where numerous tailgating sites are set up for today’s football game, which is dubbed “Family Weekend.”

ASU Police Chief Gunther Doerr said a passerby called 911 at 7:55 a.m. He said some family members of the deceased have been notified.

The deceased was identified as 19-year-old Tyler Blalock, a sophomore from Charlotte studying sustainable development, at around 3 p.m. today. Blalock’s Facebook page states that he was a lifeguard. 

The body was discovered in Kraut Creek, which runs through Durham Park on the campus of ASU (the area circled in red).

ASU Police released a statement on Sunday that reads: “The results of an autopsy completed this morning confirm the cause of Appalachian State University student Tyler Blalock’s death as accidental drowning. University Police investigation findings are consistent with the medical examiner’s results.

“There are no indications of any foul play. The evidence collected during the investigation confirms that Blalock was alone when he slipped on the edge of the creek and struck his head on some rocks as he fell into the water.”

A moment of silence in memory of Blalock was observed prior to the kickoff of the Appalachian State vs. Coastal Carolina football game at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

In the summer of 2007, a body was found in Kraut Creek after heavy rains. No foul play was found, although alcohol was a factor in that tragedy.