There is "no obvious explanation" for the death of a "popular" 12-year-old Welsh judo champion who was found dead in his bedroom, an inquest has heard.
Marc Jose Aguilar, a Year 8 pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern in Penylan, Cardiff, died suddenly at his home in St Mellons, Cardiff, on September 14, 2024. He was a competitive judo athlete and swam for Cardiff City.
The inquest into Marc's death concluded at Pontypridd Coroners' Court on Tuesday.
Day of death
On the day of his death, Marc had been swimming and had eaten lunch with his father before returning home, Wales Online reports.
He and his brother, Morgan Keogh, were planning to watch Deadpool & Wolverine. While he waited for Morgan to finish watching UFC, Marc went up to his bedroom and told his brother to let him know when he was ready to watch the Marvel film.
Less than half an hour later, Marc's sister went to his bedroom to return some shoes but could not open the door. She realised it was blocked by her brother, who was lying on the floor, and raised the alarm.
Family's account
His mother, Rhian Aguilar, told the inquest: "She went up and went to go in the bedroom and shouted: 'Mum I think there's something wrong with Marc.' She said: 'He's lying on the floor. I can't get in the room. You need to be quick.'"
Marc's family managed to get into the room and found him unresponsive. Ms Aguilar said his colour had gone and he did not appear to be breathing. The family called 999 and moved him onto the landing, where they began CPR.
Police and paramedics attended their home. In a statement read during the inquest, critical care practitioner Ben Seabourne said there was no evidence of Marc's pulse returning despite continued resuscitation. He was pronounced dead at 5.08pm.
Character and activities
Describing her son, Ms Aguilar said: "He very popular with his friends in sport and in school. Even the older ones he was popular with."
His brother, Mr Keogh, described him as a "wind-up merchant" who was always funny and pushed the boundaries to play a prank.
His family members said they had noticed nothing unusual or concerning in the days leading up to his death and noted that he had been preparing for an upcoming judo competition in Bosnia.
Ms Aguilar said Marc had started following a TikTok influencer to "build himself up" when he went to Spain with his aunt in August. She said he reassured her that the training did not involve weights but instead consisted of exercises such as sit-ups and press-ups.
He continued the training after returning home, completing 15 minutes of exercises and a five-minute run around the block each day, Ms Aguilar said.
Phone searches and medical findings
Following his death, Marc's iPhone was examined by Geraint Strakis, a detective constable from South Wales Police.
Det Con Strakis said there were no texts, WhatsApp messages, or Snapchat messages that raised concerns.
His last internet search, at 1.35pm on the day he died, read: "How much protein is too much protein for a child?"
He explained that during September, in the weeks before his death, Marc had searched online for information about an adrenaline rush six times.
His searches included: "How do I get adrenaline rush?"; "What causes an adrenaline rush?"; "How do you go through an adrenaline rush?"; "If you go through an adrenaline rush could you go through 100% of your strength?"; "What happens if a human goes through an adrenaline rush?".
On August 21, he had searched: "Something weird is happening to my body, like it's in speed motion?"
Pathologist Dr Stephen Leadbeatter said he had not found any significant injuries anywhere on Marc's body. "In particular, I didn't find any mark in or on the neck apart from a very small scratch on the left side," he added.
Dr Leadbeatter said he found nothing of note during his examination of Marc's organs and no evidence of natural disease or an asthma attack. He also said no defects were found in his DNA.
Coroner's conclusion
He said: "I don't have anything that gives me an obvious explanation for Marc's death. I can't really give you an explanation of how Marc has come to die."
Coroner Gavin Knox recorded Marc's medical cause of death as pressure to the neck but said he did not think Marc had intended to end his own life, recording a conclusion of misadventure.
Mr Knox said the overall circumstances showed that an action taken by Marc before his death had not been an accident. The coroner added: "I therefore have to find that Marc deliberately applied pressure to his neck."
At the time of his death, Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern school said: "It is with great sadness that we announce that one of our pupils passed away suddenly over the weekend. Marc Aguilar of 8 Rhymni 2 was a popular and likeable pupil and a keen sportsman. He had many friends at Bro Edern and he will be missed sorely."
