Five Major Questions About the Death of a Henan Middle School Student on Campus

A first-year male boarding high school student at “Jinshi Qinghuayuan Senior High School” in Xincai County, Henan, suddenly died. The school attempted to transfer the body before the parents arrived. The official announcement stated that a “criminal case has been ruled out,” but this has been questioned by the public, and many netizens generally believe the incident involves organ transplantation. (Video screenshot)

[People News] On January 8, a first-year male student surnamed Zhu at “Jinshi Qinghuayuan” Senior High School in Xincai County, Henan, suddenly died on campus. The official announcement stated that a “criminal case has been ruled out,” but this has been questioned by the public, and many netizens generally believe the incident involves organ transplantation.

Question One: Was the cause of death really sudden cardiac death?

The official announcement stated: “Upon examination, Zhu had no external injuries on his body, and death was caused by a cardiogenic disease.” Medically, sudden cardiac death is not impossible in adolescents, but a medical conclusion must be based on a complete chain of evidence. To conclude that Zhu “died of a cardiogenic disease,” the evidence chain should at least include: a systematic autopsy (not merely a superficial visual inspection), cardiac anatomy results (whether there was hypertrophy, fibrosis, or structural abnormalities), pathological sections, prior medical history or family history (if any), and the exclusion of other possible causes of death (poisoning, suffocation, external force, stress-induced sudden death, etc.). However, the official announcement did not provide any of this evidence. Relying solely on the statement “upon examination, there were no external injuries on the body” lacks medical authority and cannot convince the public.

Question Two: Why did the school block the parents from seeing the body?

According to Chinese law, the right to handle a deceased person’s body belongs to close relatives. Therefore, if a student dies at school, the school has the obligation to notify the family immediately and protect the scene. However, the school obstructed Zhu’s parents from seeing their child’s body and attempted to remove the body before the parents arrived. Transferring the body without the family’s consent clearly涉嫌违法 (constitutes suspected illegal conduct). In the end, after being delayed for several hours, the family only saw the body at the hospital, where it had already been frozen. One must ask: if the cause of death could withstand scrutiny, why would the school feel the need to “handle” the body before the family arrived?

Question Three: What exactly were the needle holes in the left side of the deceased’s chest?

Zhu’s family disclosed that when the child was discovered, there was blood at the corner of his mouth and nail-sized holes in his chest. However, the official announcement stated that the needle holes on the left side of the chest were formed when forensic doctors drew blood for toxicology testing, and that the “red liquid” at the corner of the mouth was “body fluid” that flowed out when forensic doctors turned the body. This explanation is riddled with holes. Under normal circumstances, even if Zhu suffered sudden death, wouldn’t emergency services (120) be called first to attempt resuscitation? If resuscitation failed, wouldn’t the body then be sent to a hospital and, only with the parents’ consent, handed over for a forensic autopsy? But now, not only was there no rescue attempt, the body had not even been sent to a hospital, yet forensic doctors were already conducting an autopsy at the school? The forensic doctors arrived faster than the parents and even faster than emergency services—does that make sense? And may I ask, is there video footage of the forensic doctors entering the school?

Question Four: Why did the school not release surveillance footage?

Under normal circumstances, there are cameras at the school gate, cameras in teaching buildings, and near-complete coverage in corridors, playgrounds, and stairwells. Why did the school not release the relevant surveillance footage? Furthermore, in a campus bustling with people, it is almost impossible for a student to be completely without anyone around them for 24 hours. Yet after Zhu’s death, why did witnesses collectively disappear? This cannot help but raise suspicions that the school is deliberately covering something up.

Question Five: Why did the authorities block information?

Because of doubts about the official announcement, large numbers of citizens gathered at the school gate to protest, demanding an explanation from the school. Local authorities even deployed large numbers of armed police to suppress the situation while blocking related information. Videos circulating online were quickly deleted. According to local netizens, even expressways around Xincai County were blocked. If the matter were truly just a natural death, was it necessary for the local government to mobilize such massive forces?

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