Cheerleader Dies in Hotel Plunge

A high school cheerleader on a dream trip to Hawaii to perform at a college football all-star game plunged naked to her death from a ninth-floor hotel balcony. An initial autopsy released Wednesday showed alcohol in her system but no evidence of foul play.

Police on Tuesday arrested two California men on suspicion of murder, but released them later that day and on Wednesday said Lauren Crossan’s death was classed as a “miscellaneous accident.”

Thousands of miles away, a New Jersey suburb grieved for the 18-year-old, who was cheerleading squad captain, as it waited for answers about her mysterious death.

“I can’t even describe how much it hurts,” said Erica Bauerlein, a senior from Randolph, N.J.

Crossan’s body was found Monday morning by a hotel guest only hours after she had checked into the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa.

The initial autopsy “suggested alcohol was present but we don’t have the quantity yet,” Dr. Anthony Manoukian, Maui County medical examiner, said Wednesday.

No other drugs were found, nor was there evidence of sexual assault or injuries not caused by the fall, he said.

Donald L. Devorss, 19, and Erik B. Larson, 20, both of Folsom, Calif., and registered to the room from which Crossan fell, were arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, Lt. Tivoli Faaumu said. The men were released without charges.

The men told police that Crossan was in their room when they fell asleep early Monday. Her clothes and personal belongings were in the room when police arrived to question them, but the men said they did not know what happened to her, Faaumu said.