Family: Wash. teen dies playing dangerous choking game

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) – The family of a 13-year-old girl in Vancouver says the teen died while playing a dangerous game.

KATU reports family and friends of Gabby Perez gathered Wednesday at Cascade Middle School for a candlelight vigil. Perez was a seventh-grader at the school.

Her family says she died Feb. 6 while playing a choking game, also known as the “pass out game,” where a person will stop the flow of oxygen until they pass out.

Vancouver police say they are investigating Perez’s death but say they’re waiting on the medical examiner’s official cause of death before commenting.

While the incident did not occur on campus, the district sent a letter to parents from Cascade Middle School Principal Kristin White.

White, in the letter, says there will continue to be counseling teams at the school.