22-year-old Bahamian student dies after collapsing at Ohio university

Bahamas: A 22-year-old Bahamian student has reportedly died after he collapsed during an activity at his university in Ohio, however the cause of death is still unknown.

The student has been identified as Joshua Knowles, who was a senior at Central State University. He was taken to the Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, while he was unresponsive. His family was contacted by the hospital in the early hours of Tuesday, September 29.

According to the reports, Joshua had no known history of medical emergencies or health problems, his brother Xavier Knowles noted.

Xavier reported that his family was told that it happened suddenly while Joshua was taking part in an activity as he collapsed and lost his consciousness suddenly.

"As far as we were told, it was sudden. He was doing some activity and he just collapsed. That's it. Then he was unconscious,” he said.

He noted that they were also told that his heart stopped and that efforts to revive him failed.

Xavier further mentioned that this loss comes after the family recently buried both of Joshua's grandmothers this year. His maternal grandmother died in April and his paternal grandmother died in June.

Xavier and his family have left for Ohio where they are to identify Joshua, and arrange to bring his body back home.

He described his brother as a driven student who was extremely close to his family, with near-daily video calls. The family had planned to attend his graduation next year.

Joshua was studying management information systems. He also played bass drum in the university's Marching Marauders band and belonged to the university's chapter of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

Central State University said it was deeply saddened and offered counselling and support services to students, faculty and staff.

Eric Walker, a consultant with the Invincible Marching Marauders, described Knowles as a valued member of the band family. He said the band will lean on one another and honour his memory as they navigate this loss together.

Further investigations concerning the circumstances of Joshua’s death are currently ongoing.