Local teenager found dead

         It is with greatest sadness that we report the death of Zane Mitchell (19).  His body was found in the river, at approximately 5pm yesterday, by a local who does not wish to be identified.  Cause of death appears to be a blow to the head, although autopsy results are still pending.  Sergeant Flemming has confirmed that the death appears to be suspicious, although he had no comment on whether leads were being followed at this point. Other locals, however had a different view.
        "The river has been a hazard for a long time," said Meredith Jones, head of the Jennings Memorial Society.  "The poor young man could have fallen in accidentally. We're just not the sort of town where that happens. It's an absolute tragedy, and the JMS will be looking into options to make sure this doesn't happen again." Opinions in the town remain split, however.  Some of his schoolmates have implied that he was heavily involved with drugs and alcohol, and the whole thing might have been a drug deal gone wrong, citing the drugs found at the Jennings Memorial Reserve.
          "Everyone knew Zane was into some bad s-t," said one, who refused to be named. "He was hanging out with a bad crowd. Everyone knows who they are, but no-one's ever going to say anything."
Principal Munroe, when approached for comment, had this to say:
        "It doesn't matter what Zane Mitchell was 'into'. What matters is a bright young life full of potential has ended, and our thoughts should be with his family, not ideally speculating." When asked why she thought Zane had left school at 16, she said, "Zane must have felt there was a lack of options, which is true in Rutherford." She was also asked if she felt she had failed Zane, she retorted, "I may not have wanted Zane to leave school so early, but I deeply care about the lives of my students and tried to make sure that he knew about his options."
      The subject of naming the new library after Zane Mitchell was raised at the most recent meeting on that subject, it was rejected by some of the attendees. Arabella Jones commented that it was inappropriate to name a library after a school dropout, with alleged connections to drug and alcohol abuse,although his death was a great tragedy and her thoughts were with his family and friends.  Maude Thompson also agreed, making this the first issue they have agreed upon in the almost ten years both had been involved in the school committee.

The memorial service for Zane will be held after the New Year, and counselling will be offered to Zane's school friends.