Pennsylvania Teenager Dies In Freak Bathtub Accident While Getting Ready For School

The small town of Butler, Penn. is mourning a 17-year-old high school student who died in a freak bathtub accident while getting ready for school.

Brianne Marie Rapp, a junior at Butler Area Senior High School, was taking a shower when she apparently fell to her death in the bathtub during Friday's early morning hours, her family and police told reporters.

Kimberly Schultz, Brianne's mother, woke up later than her daughter that day and noticed that the tub was overflowing. When she went into the bathroom to investigate, she discovered her daughter's body. 

“She was hysterical on the phone and she told me [Brianne] was gone. I thought maybe she ran away or something. I didn’t realize she meant she passed away,” Brianne's father, Mike Rapp, who is estranged from his wife, told reporters at CBS Pittsburgh. “We don’t know if maybe hair clogged the drain but the tub overflowed.”

While coroners have not released a cause of death yet, they believe the girl died from drowning and don't think the death is suspicious.

Mike Rapp told reporters that his daughter was on thyroid medication that had caused her to pass out in the past.

Brianne's friends are reeling from the death. “It’s still hard to believe my best friend is not here no more,” Rapp's close friend Hailie Slupe told reporters.

Butler Area Senior High School brought in counselors for students and staff .

Pennsylvania high school student Brianne Rapp died tragically in a freak accident on Friday, June 1. Photo: Brianne Rapp's Facebook Memorial page

“We were deeply saddened to learn that a student at the Butler Area School District had a tragic accident. On behalf of the Butler Area school community, we extend our deepest sympathy to the student’s family and friends at this difficult time,” the school said in a statement, according to a local radio station.

[Photo Credit: Brianne Rapp's Facebook Memorial Page]