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Adele Dombrowski was an accomplished high school student.

Popular Steamboat Teen Had Been Drinking Before Death

Investigators Await Autopsy Results

POSTED: 2:17 pm MDT September 28, 2005
UPDATED: 11:29 am MDT September 29, 2005

Friends and parents are reeling over the loss of a popular and accomplished high school student who was found dead Saturday morning.

Adele Dombrowski, 17, was found in her bed on Saturday morning.

In a Sept. 28 story about her death, The Associated Press reported erroneously that police found a nearly empty bottle of rum at her bedside. Police have not said where the bottle was found. On Thursday, Police Capt. Joel Rae denied that the bottle was found in her bedroom.

On Sunday, police arrested Kevin Miller Neuwirth, 20, on suspicion of buying her the rum. A Steamboat liquor store has been cited for allegedly selling a 1.75-liter bottle of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum to Neuwirth.

The Routt County coroner said the cause of Dombrowski's death would not likely be determined until Thursday and toxicology tests would take longer.

Friends said that Dombrowski may have had a seizure disorder.

Dombrowski was a senior at Steamboat Springs High School. She played tennis, reaching the state doubles semifinals in 2004. She also played hockey and volleyball, sang, played the flute, danced and choreographed dances. She was a member of Young Life, a Christian ministry aimed at young people

"She loved the Lord," said her mother, Kris Stouffer. "She was a pretty cool kid."

Stouffer said her daughter had a reputation for being friendly and outgoing.

"Parents would always comment to me that they came to the school and Adele was the only one who said 'hi' to them," Stouffer said. "'Gracious' is the word a lot of people used, even as far back as her first-grade teacher."

Police Sgt. Nick Bosick said Neuwirth acknowledged buying the rum for Dombrowski. Neuwirth was arrested on charges of providing alcohol to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

He was released after posting a $5,000 bond. He had no listed phone number and could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Police also cited the Bottleneck liquor store, where Neuwirth allegedly bought the 1.75-liter bottle of Captain Morgan's spiced rum.

Bottleneck owner John Marshall said the store is "extremely hard on checking IDs."

Days before Dombrowski's death, police ticketed nine liquor stores for selling liquor to an underage buyer in a sting operation. The Bottleneck was not one of them. In fact, the citation given to The Bottleneck was the first in it's 30-year history, Marshall said.

Friends said Dombrowski and other under-age teens were drinking rum and cokes at a football game in Craig, Colo, about 40 miles away from Steamboat Springs Friday night. The friends said that she did not appear intoxicated at the game.

Dombrowski returned home at about 12:45 a.m. and went to bed, investigators said.

Her body was found by another friend at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, when she went to get her for tennis practice.

Dombrowski is the third Steamboat student to die in less than a year. Last year, two local seventh-graders died in separate accidents. One was Ashley Stamp, who died at Vail while preparing for a ski race.

Funeral services for Dombrowski will be held at 2 p.m Friday in the Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel. Public viewing is from noon until 2 p.m.


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