PALATKA, Fla. – The Palatka community is in mourning after a 15-year-old Palatka High student was found dead in his home Tuesday morning.
Officials said on Aug. 13 at around 6:20 a.m., Palatka Police Officers responded to a report of a teen in possible cardiac arrest.
Officers arrived and determined that 15-year-old Robert James Gillon III was dead.
During the investigation, detectives learned that Gillon complained of chest pains on Monday, Aug. 12, before going to football practice. He still went to practice and returned home.
Officials said the autopsy indicates that he passed away sometime during the night of natural causes. No foul play is suspected.
This tragic loss comes less than a year after another student, Baylee Holbrook, passed away after being hit by lightning.
A vigil was held Tuesday at the Palatka High gym where more than 100 people attended to honor Gillon.
His friend and teammate Tony Turner described the kind of friend Gillon was.
“He was always positive,” Turner said. “I never heard a bad thing come from him. He always liked to work. He always liked to have fun. Every time you called his name, he had a smile on his face.”
Turner said this loss hurts.
“He’s gonna be a part of my prayers,” Turner said. “Everything I do [is] gonna be for him. Do more things for him. Try to go harder for him. Just be like Robert. Be more like Robert. Positive, good attitude all the time.”
Noah McKinley, another one of Gillon’s football teammates, said he learned the news from his parents.
“It just shocked me,” McKinley said. “We were just in the weight room yesterday, in second period. We worked out together. He’s in our workout group, and we’re like brothers out there, like we’re a team, we’re a team out there, and he’s just one of the greatest players, like teammates, you could ask for.”
Palatka High football coach Bobby Raulerson said he was surprised to hear about reports of Gillon complaining of chest pains.
“It was a surprise in one sense, that nothing was discussed about it yesterday at practice,” Raulerson said. “This was something that I think when he got home, maybe he had said something to his parents about it, and as I understand it, precautions were taken at home to make sure that everything was fine there. In that sense, it was because nobody had any idea that there was anything going on.”
Rick Surrency, Superintendent of Putnam County Schools, said no one was aware of Robert having chest pains during practice.
“Our district staff will be reviewing the information tomorrow,” Surrency said. “I’m not aware of any adults that were made aware of any situation prior to practice, and I know our coaching staff is very awesome, and if they knew that, I know that they would respond.”
Raulerson said he was just getting to know Gillon over the last few months. He had just started practicing with the varsity team.
He said Gillon was the kind of person they want other teammates to duplicate.
“He always was 100% in everything that he did,” Raulerson said. “Any time you said something to him, even if it wasn’t what he wanted to hear, his only response was ‘Yes, sir’ and again, you just can’t ask for anything more than that.”
Karl Flagg, Senior Pastor at Mount Tabor Baptist Church, said Gillon was a young man with great potential and that his passing was unexpected.
“He had a determined heart, and he was very resolute to do the things that he felt were important to do,” Flagg said. “So it’s a great loss, and I’m here to say that he is an example of it’s not the quantity of time, it’s the quality of time, and that’s what makes the difference.”
Putnam County Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach released the following statement in a Facebook post.
There are not words to express the sorrow we feel for the family, friends, classmates, staff of Palatka Junior-Senior High and teammates of the student who died unexpectedly this morning.
As parents our hearts break for his parents. As the agency charged with the safety of our schools, our concern is now turned to the well-being of this student’s family and the students, faculty and staff of PJSHS.
We ask the community to lend their support to PJSHS as they navigate this difficult time while only at the beginning of the school year and to keep this child's family in your prayers.
Putnam County Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach
Detectives are waiting for the final toxicology and blood results.