19-Year-Old Special Needs Student Found Dead on School Bus

The student was found Friday afternoon in Whittier, Calif., near Los Angeles.

California police are investigating the death of 19-year-old student with special needs after he was found dead on a school bus. That was more than 30 minutes after the bus finished making its rounds and had been parked in the Whittier Union High School bus depot.

The teen typically left school on the bus around 2:30 p.m. and arrived home at 4, White said.

The cause of death is unknown at this time and under investigation.

“That’s when the bus driver walked to the bus yard behind me [and] discovered the student lying in the aisle way near the front of the bus unresponsive”, White said.

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There were no signs of trauma on Lee’s body, and no weapons were found at the scene, White said.

Police officers first responded to a report of a “man down” on a bus at the district parking lot, Whittier police officials said in a written statement. No arrests have been made.

Normally, young Lee would have been home from a school day at around 4PM.

According to NBC Los Angeles, Pupil Transportation, the private company that operates the school buses for the district, did not say whether or not drivers were required to do a “head count” for special needs students.

Thorstenson issued a statement of condolence and said counselors would be made available to the man’s family as well as students and staff who were close to the victim.

“Our hearts are with our student’s parents and family – we’re all grieving”.

This article was originally published at 11:08 a.m.