Update: Promising Air Force Cadet Alex Quiros died in his room at the Air Force Academy way back on April 2 — and on April 18, the body of his mother, Ksenia Quiros, was found in an open space area in Colorado Springs.
The causes of such deaths are typically reported within days — and it's highly unusual for delays in the release of such information to stretch out for weeks, let alone months, as has been the case with Alex's passing.
Now, however, the El Paso County coroner has confirmed that both Alex and Ksenia took their own lives, with Alex doing so by stabbing himself more than twenty times.
Questions about Alex's death mainly related to comments from those close to him, including his girlfriend, who said he had given no indication of feeling suicidal. Moreover, the discovery of his body at 2 p.m. on the 2nd (he was pronounced dead just under two hours later) immediately followed dental surgery.
However, a Colorado Springs Gazette report notes that the coroner's office established no linkage between his death and drugs in his system — including the anti-anxiety medication Benzodiazepine. And neither did it address the possibility that he'd received anesthetic during surgery, let alone that he might have had an adverse reaction to it.
The coroner did, however, note "a history of recent personal stressors" as possible motivation for the stabbings — a total of 28 wounds to his forehead, eyelid, neck, chest and other body parts.
The conclusion of suicide in regard to Ksenia was more predictable, if no less tragic. When she was reported missing on April 15, authorities made note that she was possibly suicidal.
According to the coroner, she took what's described by the Gazette as "a toxic level of the antihistamine Diphenhydramine" and headed to the Stratton Meadows Open Space area during an extremely cold period. When her body was found, it was frozen and covered with snow.
We again offer our sincere condolences to the friends, family and loved ones of Alex and Ksenia Quiros. Continue for our previous coverage.
Update, 11:37 a.m. April 20: Moments ago, the Colorado Springs Police Department confirmed that the body of a woman located in the Stratton Meadows Open Space area in the Springs has been identified as Ksenia Quiros. She's the mother of Alex Quiros, an Air Force Cadet who died mysteriously earlier this month.
At this point, the cause of death is unknown.
The CSPD adds: "Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this difficult time. We would also like to thank the community for coming together to search for Mrs. Quiros."
We second these thoughts. Continue for our previous coverage of Ksenia Quiros's disappearance following the death of her son, Alex.
Original post, 5:48 a.m. April 17: Earlier this month, we reported about the sad and mysterious death of Alex Quiros, a 21-year-old cadet at the Air Force Academy.
The cause of Quiros's death has still not been made public two weeks after his passing.
Now, there's more concern for the Quiros family.
Ksenia Quiros, Alex's mom, has been reported missing in an area where police say they were notified about a possibly suicidal woman.
As we've reported, Quiros's Facebook page, which remains online, includes a gallery featuring several pics of him, including this one:
According to the AFA announcement of his death, Quiros, a Colorado Springs native, "was a senior majoring in astronautical engineering. He made the Dean's List (grade point average of 3.0 or higher) and Commandant's List (cadets with military performance averages of 3.0 or higher) multiple times, most recently in the Fall 2014 semester."
The Colorado Springs Gazette noted that he previously attended Cheyenne Mountain High School. One of his former tennis coaches described him as being "an impressive young man" who "wasn't afraid of anything."
As for what happened, an AFA release said only that he "was found April 2 with injuries in his dormitory room and pronounced dead at the scene at 3:43 p.m. The cause of death is not known at this time."
That remains the case, at least publicly. While the Air Force Academy has confirmed that the investigation into Alex's death isn't criminal in nature, the reason he died has yet to be revealed.
The Gazette added that the dorm in question was Sijan Hall, in an area closed to the general public, and a source cited by the paper pointed out that Quiros's wisdom teeth were removed at an AFA clinic earlier in the day.
Whether this could have been a factor in what happened or was merely a coincidence is still unknown.
But there's no doubt that Quiros's death shook the academy.
"Our deepest sympathies and sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of Cadet Quiros," said Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, the AFA's superintendent, said in a statement. "We lost a member of our Air Force Academy family, and it's a loss felt across our entire institution. Right now, our focus is on providing all possible support to the friends and loved ones of our fallen Airman."
No doubt the Quiros family was left reeling by Alex's unexpected passing. And the next shock is encapsulated in this tweet from the Colorado Springs Police Department:
CSFD is searching for missing woman 46 year old Ksenia Quiros. She is 5'02" tall, small build with blond hair. pic.twitter.com/xafB3QHsXw
— Springs Police (@CSPDPIO) April 16, 2015Fox31 reports that Ksenia departed from her family's Colorado Springs home on Wednesday morning.
She left her purse behind.
The truck she drove, a 1998 Dodge Ram, was subsequently found at Stratton Meadows Open Space, an area not far from a pair of reservoirs.
Emergency crews began searching there Wednesday night, with efforts continuing throughout yesterday,during a time when the weather had already turned inclement.
Thus far, there are no reports from the Colorado Springs Police Department that Ksenia has been found.
As pointed out in the tweet above, she is 46 years old, stands five-two and is described as having a small build and blond hair.
If you know anything about her whereabouts, you're encouraged to contact the CSPD at 719-444-7000.
Look below for a Fox31 report about Ksenia's disappearance.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
