Autopsy inclusive in death of Gainesville couple's granddaughter

MARTINEZ - Authorities say more tests are needed to determine why a 14-year-old student from east Georgia - the granddaughter of a Hall County couple - died after telling her teacher she was not feeling well as she walked on the school's track.

Columbia County Deputy Coroner Vernon Collins says an autopsy done Tuesday on the body of Chelsea Collins found no conclusive cause of death. But the deputy coroner says the autopsy did allow authorities to rule out the possibility of an aneurism or blood clot.

Authorities plan to conduct toxicology tests -- a process that Collins says will take at least three months.

The girl - the granddaughter of Betty Ann and Eddie Chambers of Gainesville and the daughter of Sam and Cindy Collins of Martinez - died about 3:30 p-m Monday at Doctors Hospital in Augusta. She had been walking on the track at Lakeside High School in Martinez during her sixth-period physical education class.

The deputy coroner says heat could have been a contributing factor, noting the heat index was 107 degrees at the time the girl was outside.

The seat in the bleachers that the girl sat on Friday nights as a xylophone player for the Lakeside High School Band will remain empty for the rest of a football season as a memorial to the teenager.

A memorial service will be held at 6:00 Thursday night at the First Baptist Church in Augusta.

(AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this story.)