Teen Drowns in Shower in Freak Accident After Hair Blocks Drain

A teenage girl has died after a freak accident in which her hair got caught in a shower drain, CBS Pittsburgh reports.

Brianne Rapp died on Friday while getting ready for school, with her mother discovering the 17-year-old’s body in the bathroom of the family’s home.

Rapp is believed to have fallen in the shower, with her father, Mike Rapp, explaining that she was on medication for a thyroid problem. The teen had blacked out a few times before, so he said it’s possible she blacked out or slipped and fell.

“We’re thinking she blacked out in the bathtub and fell and hit her head and was found by my ex,” Mike said. “We don’t know if maybe hair clogged the drain but the tub overflowed.”

Mike said he received a call from Rapp’s mother after she found her daughter in the tub.

“She was hysterical on the phone and she told me she was gone,” he recalled. “I thought maybe she ran away or something. I didn’t realize she meant she passed away.”

A cause of death has not been released, though Deputy Coroner Larry Barr told the Butler Eagle that the likely cause of death was drowning. The Butler Police Department added that Rapp’s death was not considered suspicious.

Rapp’s friend Haile Slupe said that it’s “hard to believe my best friend is not here.”

“I was at her house every weekend,” Slupe added. “I’d go hang out. I’d text her mom and surprise her.”

Mike shared that he is proud to have raised a daughter who had a positive impact on those around her.

“I’ll miss her smiling face and her great personality and wanting the best out of life,” he said. “Her mother and I are so proud to have raised a girl that people have so many nice things to say.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up in Rapp’s honor to raise money for funeral costs, with an update sharing any extra money raised will go toward her brother and sister’s college educations. As of Tuesday morning, the page has raised over $9,800.

“My daughter was the heart and soul to so many of her friends,” Mike wrote on the campaign’s page. “She always put everyone else first.”

Photo Credit: GoFundMe