Concert victims included 9th grade, ‘life of the party’ – Boston Herald

By RANDALL CHASE and MIKE CATALINI

As young as a freshman in high school and from as far away as the state of Washington. Authorities on Monday released the identities of the eight people who died after fans at the Astroworld music festival in Houston suddenly pushed forward when rapper Travis Scott came on stage.

Harris County officials did not release the cause and manner in which the victims died. Michele Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, which conducts all autopsies in Harris County, said in a statement that it could be weeks before this information is available.

A picture of some of the people who died surfaced over the weekend as their families and friends shared stories with journalists and on social media.

The deaths ranged from 14 to 27 years old, according to Houston officials. As of Sunday, 13 people were still hospitalized. Harris County officials said Monday they had not updated information about those who were hospitalized.

City officials have said they are in the early stages of investigating what caused the pandemonium at the sold-out event founded by Scott and attended by about 50,000 fans.

‘LOVED HIS MOTHER’

Franco Patino, 21, was working toward a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Dayton with a minor in human motion biomechanics, his father, Julio Patino, told the Associated Press. He was a member of the Alpha Psi Lambda, a Latin American fraternity of interest, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and worked in an engineering collaboration.

Patino described his son as a charismatic, energetic leader who was active in his community and dedicated to helping people with disabilities. His son was working on a new medical device and wanted to find a way to help his mother walk again after she was seriously injured in a car accident in Mexico two years ago, Patino said.

Through tears, Patino described how his son – who enjoyed weightlifting, football and rugby – used his strength to break a door open and free his mother from the wreck.

“He loved his mother,” Patino said. “He said all he did was try to help his mother. The whole goal.”

Julio Patino from Naperville, Illinois, was in London on a business trip when the phone rang around noon. 3. He answered it and heard his wife, Teresita, cry. She said someone had called from a hospital about Franco and that a doctor would call her soon. After 30 minutes, she called back with the doctor on the line.

“The doctor gave us the news that our son had passed away,” Patino said.

Patino said he had last talked to his son around 2pm on Friday when he assured his father that he was fine.

“I just said, ‘OK, just be careful,'” Patino said.

‘BIG HOLE IN OUR LIVES’

Jacob “Jake” Jurinek, 20, was a junior at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where he “pursued his passion for the arts and media,” his family said in a statement Sunday. He was only missing over two weeks until his 21st birthday.

He attended the concert with Patino, his friend and former high school football teammate, according to Patino’s father, Julio Patino. He was deeply committed to his family and was known as “Big Jake” by his younger cousins.

He will be missed by his father, Ron Jurinek, whom Jake became particularly close to after his mother died in 2011.

“A decade ago, Jake and Ron were inseparable – participating in White Sox and Blackhawks fights, sharing their love of professional wrestling, and spending weekends with extended family and friends at Jake’s favorite place, the family cabin in southwest Michigan,” the family said. said.

“We are all broken and left with a big hole in our lives,” his father, Ron Jurinek, added in an email.

‘GOOD STUDENT, ATHLETE, SO POOL’

The ninth grade of the Memorial College, John Hilgert, 14, was the youngest of those who died. Mourners began tying green ribbons around trees at the school over the weekend in his memory.

He was at a concert with classmate Robby Hendrix, whose mother, Tracy Faulkner, spoke to the Houston Chronicle. The boys had hoped to get a good place to watch the show.

“Everything about that night was a tragedy,” Faulkner told the newspaper. “John was a good student and athlete and so polite. He was the sweetest and wisest young man.”

‘PARTY LIFE’

Madison Dubiski, 23, lived in Houston. She was a cheerleader in high school and a member of a community service group called the National Charity League, according to a former classmate who spoke to the Houston Chronicle.

“She was definitely the party life and loved by so many people,” Lauren Vogler told the newspaper.

She was her mother’s best friend, and she loved watching her brother play sports, family friend Claudia Sierra told the Chronicle.

‘HARDWORKER’

Mirza “Danish” Baig, who identified himself on Facebook as the district manager of AT&T and appeared to be an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, was among those who died at the concert, his brother Basil Baig said on Facebook.

“He was (an) innocent young soul who always put others before him. He was a hard working man who loved his family and took care of us. He was there with a heartbeat for anything. He always had a solution to everything, says Basil Baig to ABC News.

Baig’s funeral was held Sunday in Colleyville, in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. Messages left with Basil Baig were not returned.

County officials identified him as Mirza Baig, but his brother said on Facebook that he went after Danish. He was 27.

LOVED TO DANCE

Brianna Rodriguez’s family told People magazine she was among those killed in the concert. She was 16, a student at Heights High School and loved to dance, according to the family the magazine spoke to. Her family has not responded to a message from the AP.

EDB SCIENCE STUDENT

Axel Acosta, 21, was a computer science major at Western Washington University. His father, Edgar Acosta, told KOMO-TV that his son was among the victims who died at the festival.

The school in Bellingham, Washington, issued a statement Sunday: “By all accounts, Axel was a young man with a vibrant future. We send our condolences to his family on this very sad day.”

ASPIRING BUSINESS AGENT

Rodolfo “Rudy” Pena, 23, of Laredo, Texas, was a student at Laredo College and wanted to be a border patrol agent, his friend Stacey Sarmiento said. She described him as a human being. Officials identified him as Rodolfo Pena, but friends called him Rudy.

“Rudy was a close friend of mine,” she said. “We met in high school. He was an athlete.… He brought happiness everywhere he went. He was easy to get along with. It was like positive vibes from him all the time.”

“We all came to have fun … it was just awful in there,” she added.

___

Associated Press writers Jamie Stengle and Juan Lozano of Houston contributed to this report. Chase reported from Dover, Delaware, and Catalini reported from Trenton, New Jersey.