On March 5, 2017, at 5:49 p.m., St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a medical emergency in Lexington Park with a CPR in progress.
Hugo Morales, 13, was transported to MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
The investigation continues.
The follow statement was released from the St. Mary’s County Public Schools Superintendent’s office:
“It is with great sorrow that St. Mary’s County Public Schools learned over the weekend of the passing of one of our middle school students. We grieve for the family. We have taken steps to provide mental health services and counseling for our students and staff at Spring Ridge Middle School, as they work through this tragic loss.”
Wendy Zimmerman, principal of Spring Ridge Middle School where Hugo was a student, released this statement:
“I am writing with great sadness to inform you that one of our students, Hugo Morales, has passed away. Our thoughts and sympathies are with his family and friends.
All of the students were given the news of the death in advisory this morning. I have included a copy of the announcement that was read to them below.
‘It is with great sadness that I have to tell you that one of our students, Hugo Morales, has passed away. All of us want you to know that we are here to help you in any way we can. We are aware that there has been some talk about the passing. Rumors may begin to circulate, and we ask that you not spread rumors since they may turn out to be inaccurate and can be deeply hurtful and unfair to Hugo and his family and friends. We will do our best to give you accurate information as it becomes available to us. Each of us will react to Hugo’s death in our own way, and we need to be respectful of each other. Feeling sad is a normal response to any loss. Some of you may not have known Hugo very well and may not be as affected, while others may experience a great deal of sadness. Some of you may find you’re having difficulty concentrating on your schoolwork, and others may find that diving into our work is a good distraction. We have counselors available to help our school community deal with this sad loss. If you’d like to talk to a counselor, just let your teachers know. Please remember that we are all here for you.’”
