Heat may have contributed to teen's death

LAS VEGAS - The triple-digit heat may have contributed to the death of a 17-year-old boy found dead inside a minivan at his high school.

Jeffrey S. Poulsen was found by his older sister about 4 p.m. Tuesday after he failed to return home from school.

Poulsen was on the floor of the van with the keys in the ignition and the radio on, police Sgt. Jim Young said.

The teen didn't go to school Tuesday and may have spent the entire day inside the van in the parking lot of Clark High School. Police said Poulsen may have fallen asleep inside with the windows rolled up as temperatures reached 107 degrees outside.

Young said there were no signs of trauma to the body. Police speculate the death could have been caused by the heat, a prescription medicine the teen was taking or a combination of both.

The Clark County coroner's office is investigating the death.