16-Year-Old Girl Who Died After Haunted House Visit May Have Been Scared To Death, Says Coroner
Christian Faith Benge, a 16-year-old girl from Dayton, Ohio, has died after collapsing during a trip to a haunted house attraction arranged for Halloween.
Benge collapsed inside a haunted house featured by Land of Illusion Haunted Scream Park, a popular Halloween destination in Middletown, Ohio. According to the ABC 5 News, Benge was halfway through the house when she collapsed due to a medical condition that is yet to be specified by local authorities. Shortly after collapsing inside the haunted house, Benge, a sophomore at the New Miami High School, was brought to the Atrium Medical Center, where she died.
According to sources close to Benge’s family, Christian was born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a birth defect that causes malformation of the diaphragm. Benge also only lived with one lung, prohibiting her from engaging in strenuous physical activities. However, despite these limitations, Benge was one of the most active members of the Eaton Road Full Gospel Church, where she sang in the choir. Her grandfather and pastor of the church, Ernest Benge, described her grandaughter as a kind and lovable person.
“We don’t understand it, but you just survive it. She was one of the kids you never have to correct.”
Land of Illusion owner Brett Oakley described Christian Faith Benge’s death as an “unfortunate situation,” adding that no “injury accident” at the attraction caused her death. An autopsy has been scheduled to investigate Benge’s death.
Warren Country Coroner Russel Uptegrove told Cincinnati.com that being extremely scared by the conditions inside the haunted house attraction might be a possible cause of death for Christian.
According to Uptegrove, there were no signs of trauma or foul play during Christian’s death. She was also cleared from drugs during initial investigations. Uptegrove did notice a “significant abnormality of the heart.”
“That’s the $20 million question. It’s something we may never know for sure, but because her death involved heart problems, the fear in places like that could have ‘pushed her over the edge’ so to speak. It’s possible, but I can’t say that definitively”
Doyle Burke, chief investigator for Warren County, also hinted on “heightened sense of fear” as a possible cause for Christian Benge’s death.
“Is this something that occurred because she had a heightened sense of fear? Or is this something that she could have been walking down the street and this occurred? We may never know that, but there’s really no way to medically pinpoint that.”
Funeral plans for Christian Faith Benge hasn’t been announced by family members.
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