Genetic Disorder Believed Cause of Student’s Death

A College of the Canyons student who was found unconscious behind the campus bookstore this week died of a ruptured blood vessel apparently caused by a genetic disorder and not from an accidental fall as originally thought, authorities said Friday.

Libertine Oxciano, 21, of Santa Clarita was discovered lying face down in the road moments after her brother dropped her off at the community college Tuesday morning. She died minutes later at a local hospital. Police said it appeared she had slipped on the rain-slicked road and hit her head.

However, a coroner’s official said Friday that Oxciano died from an aortic aneurysm caused by a hereditary disorder called Marfan syndrome. The aorta is the main artery that circulates blood through the body.

“Basically what happened is it ruptured,” said Patti Fleetwood, a spokeswoman for Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia. “More often than not, it’s fatal.”

Marfan syndrome causes people to be abnormally tall and often leads to problems with joints, the respiratory system and connective tissues, Fleetwood said, adding that respiratory problems may have caused Oxciano’s ruptured artery.