Archie Battersbee. Coroner: There is no evidence that an internet challenge resulted in the boy’s death

The hypothesis that the cause of Archie Battersbee’s accident was a social media challenge of cutting off the blood supply to the brain for as long as possible, suggested by his mother. On April 7, she found her unconscious son at their home in Southend. The boy was taken to a hospital in London, but the doctors based on the tests conducted estimated that the brain was permanently damaged and there was no chance that he would regain consciousness.

The boy’s fate was the subject of a legal battle that lasted for several months. His parents indicated that the boy’s heart was still beating and wanted the treatment to continue. Doctors argued that he had died of the brain stem and that it was not in his best interest to continue to support life.

At every stage of the court proceedings, the judges agreed with the doctors. On August 6, after disconnecting from the apparatus, the boy died.

On Tuesday, Lincoln Brookes, the coroner investigating the cause of death announced that “there is no evidence at this stage to corroborate the information that Archie participated in an internet challenge.”

Inspector Sarah Weeks of the Essex County Police Department said the data downloaded from the boy’s phone had “no evidence that he was recording any video on the day of the accident, nor any pictures or videos that would suggest he participated in an internet challenge.” She added that a series of messages had been found suggesting the boy’s “very low mood” and that the coroner’s investigation would continue around this thread.

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