BAGLEY, Minn. — A family on the White Earth Reservation is grieving and calling for justice after their teenage son was found dead at an underage drinking party back in March.
Police have confirmed there is an open and active investigation into who may be held responsible.
Dennis Goodwin Jr. was celebrating his 15th birthday on March 3 and just 36 hours later was found unresponsive in a bedroom at a home on the reservation.
"I wish I would have seen him before he left that night (...), but I didn't know it would be the last day I'd see him," said his mother Sara Goodwin.
Known as "Baby D" to his parents and six brothers and sisters, Dennis Goodwin Jr. died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
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His parents said the autopsy showed the 15-year-old's blood alcohol level was .314, nearly four times the legal limit to drive.
"His blood alcohol level was so high it caused him to puke and it aspirated back in and that's what the cause of death was," Sara Goodwin said.
His parents said they were unaware their son drank alcohol. They claim there were adults and nearly a dozen minors present at the home their son was at.
The Clearwater County Sheriff's Office confirmed there is an open criminal investigation and promised it will be "thorough."
"I would have never let him go if I knew he drank over there at all, period," said Dennis Goodwin Sr.
His parents are demanding someone be prosecuted for their son's death, whether for supplying alcohol or hosting.
"He made that choice to drink, you don't leave that choice for a child to make," Sara Goodwin said.
In the two months since his death, his parents are working hard to keep his memory alive in a more positive light.
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They've adopted a highway to keep clean, and they awarded the first annual Dennis Goodwin Jr. Memorial Scholarship to Caleb Neeland, who is graduating from Bagley High School and will study psychology at Minnesota State University Moorhead in the fall.
"He always talked about what he wanted to be when he was older. He always told me he wanted to be a welder," Sara Goodwin said.
With only memories left, his parents said they will continue to push for accountability to help bring a little bit of ease and comfort to this tragedy.
"I want to see justice done, but either way, nothing is ever going to bring him back," Sara Goodwin said.
Clearwater County Sheriff Darin Halverson said the investigation should wrap up in about two weeks. The case file will then be turned over to the Clearwater County prosecutor to decide if any charges will be filed.
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