The father of the late 2021 National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) finalist, James Lutterodt has spoken out on the demise of his son.
Lutterodt died on Monday, July 3, 2023, according to his father, Philip Dogbeda Lutterodt.
The distraught father said he passed away after a brief illness at a private hospital in Tema.
Recounting the events leading to his son’s death, Mr Lutterodt said Jame’s health woes started in April 2023, when he returned home from school.
“As a father, it hasn’t been easy. I noticed something was wrong with him when he came on vacation in April. I promptly started attending to his health concerns, and we conducted numerous tests to determine the cause of his illness until he passed away yesterday morning,” the grieving father narrated.
Mr Lutterodt, however, refuted claims that James in his last minutes vomited blood as speculated in some videos making rounds on social media.
He added that James had shared information about certain incidents at the University of Ghana, where he was schooling, but he can not disclose them to the public yet.
He continued to express gratitude to God despite the family’s loss.
A family friend who was present at the family however confirmed in an interview with Citi News and monitored by The Ghana Report that James had plans to study abroad after receiving admission offers from several international universities before his untimely demise.
James Lutterodt rose to prominence as a remarkable individual during his participation in the prestigious NSMQ.
He, together with Francisca Lamini and Bright Senyo Godzo represented Keta Senior High School (Ketasco) in the competition impressing viewers with their performance throughout the contest to the finale.
As a finalist representing Ketasco, his knowledge, dedication, and intellectual prowess captured the hearts of many viewers and garnered widespread admiration.
Regrettably, the promising young scholar’s life was cut short, sending shockwaves throughout the NSMQ community and the nation as a whole.
Since the news of his passing, social media has been rife with numerous speculations on the cause of his death which are yet to be confirmed.