Son's death prompts mother to alert others

Teen may have died by 'choking game'

Kris Marceno was an actor, a singer, a bright student with a wide circle of friends. But on Nov. 2, he died alone while playing a dangerous game: He strangled himself in an apparent attempt to get a high.

Marceno, a 15-year-old Enloe High School sophomore, died from accidental asphyxiation, his family said. His death has schools, churches and communities talking about the "choking game," in which children and teenagers choke themselves or each other for a euphoric feeling that precedes blacking out.

"This is not a game," said Krista Ragan, a death investigator for the N.C. Child Fatality Review Team. "They think they can stop themselves, but they don't. They can't."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified at least 82 such deaths nationwide between 1995 and 2007. Three North Carolina children are believed to have died from the practice between 2000 and 2007, according to state medical examiner records.

Kris was in his bedroom when it happened, but other family members were at home. His death was initially ruled a suicide by Cary police, the family said. But relatives began hearing from his friends that he'd choked himself before, even at school, his mother said. Cary Police Capt. Michael Williams confirmed the case is open, as police await the medical examiner's report.

"There's a lot of kids doing it," Kris' mother, Bobbi Jo Marceno, said Thursday.

There were no warning signs that Kris was doing it, too, she said.

"He was a great kid. He was smart, funny, just the perfect son," Marceno said. "Talented beyond belief."

The gregarious teenager excelled in acting and drama and knew how to draw out laughter. He loved playing one of the Cratchit children in productions of "A Christmas Carol" by Raleigh's Theatre in the Park.

"I don't think he took a shower without singing," Marceno said.

A Wake County schools official said the choking game isn't a major problem in Wake. "We don't believe it's common," said Eric Sparks, director of counseling services. "We don't want to give too much publicity to it."

Ragan has been tracking accidental asphyxiation for several years. Her team reviews deaths involving children and makes recommendations for state and local agencies. She agrees that, among lethal experiments luring North Carolina children, it's an uncommon killer. Many more youth in this state, more than 10 a year, die after swallowing prescription pills they'd hoped would render a high.

The choking game has been around for decades. Youth have passed down techniques in schoolyards and at slumber parties since the 1970s. Now, videos dot the internet as teens find ways to communicate with peers beyond their neighborhood and school.

The CDC issued an advisory in February, warning parents to watch for signs that their children might be chasing a high through asphyxiation. Most of the victims identified by the CDC were boys.

Kris' family is concerned that the practice isn't part of public health conversations, as drug and alcohol abuse are.

"It amounts to the same thing," said Joe Marceno, Kris' father. "But you can't drug test them."

"It's the kids' responsibility to tell on their friends, because if they don't, they're going to have to go to their funeral," Bobbi Jo Marceno said.

She plans to start an educational foundation, and will be speaking to a gathering of Kris' friends this weekend.

Adrienne Lumpkin, president of Enloe's Parent-Teacher-Student Association, said plans are being made to talk about the choking game at a January meeting. She said the organization wants to get the word out to parents about the dangers.

"It was a wake-up call for teens to be aware and do something about it," Lumpkin said. "If you have friends who are doing it, you need to go to their parents. This is something you need to make a stand on."