Heart Disease Caused Death, Coroner Says

Kavita Chopra, a Cal State Fullerton student who died Thursday while visiting a Mexican border city, drank three or four alcoholic beverages in the hours before her death, a Tijuana coroner’s office spokesman said Tuesday.

But spokesman Miguel Cruz said there is no evidence that the drinking was a direct cause of the student’s death. A report prepared by the coroner said the student was felled by cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease.

But Chopin Chopra, the young woman’s father, continued to doubt the coroner’s findings Tuesday, saying he won’t be satisfied until he receives an independent pathological report. He contends that authorities are hiding the truth to protect tourism.

“I don’t trust what they are saying,” the Anaheim man said. “If it is true, I want to see a report. I know my daughter does not have three or four drinks. I know her better than anyone else.”