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Teen student dies in Rock Hill

ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV) - Officials are trying to determine what killed an apparently healthy German exchange student who was living with a family in Rock Hill.

Hannah Hinrichsen's host family said she complained of a headache and feeling nauseous earlier this week.  She stayed home from school on Wednesday.   When Hinrichsen's host mother checked on her later in the day and she discovered the girl was dead.

Hannah Hinrichsen was from Germany and the 16-year-old was an exchange student in the eleventh grade at South Pointe High School.  She arrived at the school in Rock Hill this semester.

The coroner says a preliminary autopsy conducted Thursday was inconclusive.

While officials don't believe it was the flu, they are waiting for pathology and toxicology reports to come back which could take up to six weeks.

School officials say Hinrichsen made quite an impression in the short time she was at the school.

"She really immersed herself into student life, the chorus," said Dr. Al Leonard, principal of South Pointe High School.  "She had friends [and] they were in drama.  She was actually planning on being part of the drama department next year and also took a lot of art classes here.  For a brief time, she made a tremendous impact and had a lot of friends."

The Rock Hill Police Department does not suspect foul play, but they do say it is a mystery how a teenager with no apparent health problems suddenly died.