The autopsy report for the 17-year-old who was found dead in April at a Pillen Family Farms property in central Nebraska could not determine an exact cause of death, but a Douglas County pathologist said the boy's lungs showed signs of a possible allergic reaction, including mucus congestion and fluids.
Zachary Panther was seen in video footage blowing his nose multiple times before being found unresponsive in a mechanical room at Beaver Valley Pork Company in Boone County at about 11:30 a.m. April 1.
The Beaver Valley Pork Company is a part of Pillen Family Farms owned in part by Gov. Jim Pillen.
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Panther was discovered with blood running down his nose and lying on his back. A coworker attempted CPR, but emergency personnel declared him dead when they arrived.
Zach Panther
The company raised concerns about potential air quality issues in the room where Panther was located. According to the autopsy report, it was not known if the air quality measurements had been performed.
But Douglas County pathologist Dr. Erin Linde, who authored the report, spoke with an OSHA representative after Panther's death and said the building had a high air exchange rate. OSHA did not perform air quality measurements during its investigation.
No other employees raised concerns about air contamination.
Panther's mother told Linde that he had situational asthma but no complications from it and had no family history of sudden death.
The autopsy showed Panther had no evidence of head injury or internal injuries, but pointed to a reaction to hydrogen sulfide as what likely killed him.
According to the report, hydrogen sulfide is a gas found in many industrial fields, including food processing. When exposed to certain levels of hydrogen sulfide, olfactory paralysis may occur. This can cause respiratory irritation, incoordination, headaches, dizziness and loss of consciousness.Â
"At high concentrations, breathing may stop within a few breaths, and immediate collapse may occur," Linde wrote.Â
A metabolite found in hydrogen sulfate called thiosulfate can be tested in blood, but depending on circumstances, the detection may change after death. Fatalities regarding hydrogen sulfate are typically greater than 2.5 micrograms per milliliter. In Panther's case, his level of thiosulfate was 1.1 micrograms per milliliter.Â
Linde still expressed concern over hydrogen sulfate toxicity because of the sudden death and the fact that Panther was found in a small enclosed room in hog confinement.
But without accurate air quality measurements of the room to compare with the thiosulfate findings and other considerations from the autopsy, Linde still listed the cause of death as undetermined.
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