West Des Moines police investigating 16-year-old's death

KIM NORVELL   | knorvell@dmreg.com

West Des Moines police are investigating the death of a 16-year-old girl.

Natalie Jasmine Finn suffered cardiac arrest at her West Des Moines home on Oct. 24, police said in a news release. Emergency crews performed CPR, but Finn later died at a local hospital.

Sgt. Anthony Giampolo, spokesperson for the West Des Moines Police Department, told the Register the case is under investigation and authorities are "trying to determine" whether Finn's death is suspicious.

He said he is unaware whether charges will be filed in connection with her death, but the county attorney's office is involved.

"It's a complex situation due to the victim's age," he said.

An autopsy has been conducted by the Polk County Medical Examiner. An official cause of death will be known once toxicology results are received, Giampolo said. He is unsure when the results will be available.

Elaine Watkins-Miller, spokesperson for West Des Moines Community Schools, said Finn had previously been a student at Walnut Creek Campus, the district's alternative high school, but she was not enrolled there or anywhere else in the district this year.