Juvenile’s death in exclusive Summerlin neighborhood ‘alcohol-related’

Las Vegas police are looking into a juvenile’s “alcohol-related” death early New Year’s Day in a wealthy Summerlin neighborhood.

But whether police decide to investigate depends on the findings of an autopsy.

At 8:35 a.m. Friday, police were called to a home at 59 Panorama Crest Ave. in The Ridges after fire officials requested help for an unresponsive person, according to dispatch logs and Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Aden OcampoGomez. Police then took a dead body report.

Later that night, police were at the home to follow up, records show.

Property and business records show the home is owned by Eva Littman, a prominent fertility doctor in Las Vegas. Littman unsuccessfully ran in the Nevada Assembly District 2 Democratic primary last year.

She has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Attempts to reach Littman on Monday night were unsuccessful.

OcampoGomez said abuse and neglect detectives are looking into the case but are waiting for an autopsy from the Clark County coroner’s office before determining whether there will be an investigation.

He did not provide any more specific information about the circumstances of the death, but he did confirm it was an “alcohol-related incident.”

In a Saturday email to parents, Roxanne Stansbury, head of the private Alexander Dawson School, said an eighth-grade student, Aumnie Halper, had died in “a tragic alcohol-related incident.” The email, obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, described Halper as “a vivacious, bright, and joyful” member of the school community.

“Aumnie has been a Dawson student since kindergarten, and there are few on campus who have not experienced her infectious laughter, sense of humor, and lovely smile,” Stansbury wrote. “She was an advocate, an outgoing community bridge-builder, performer, artist, and athlete. Her positive impact on our campus was palpable, and her passing leaves a void that cannot be filled.”

The Review-Journal could not confirm whether Halper died at the home owned by Littman.

On the school’s Facebook page, a post says Halper died on Friday. The post does not mention alcohol.

The Ridges neighborhood is all too familiar with alcohol-related deaths. In 2019, wealthy Las Vegas real estate broker Scott Gragson crashed his Range Rover in The Ridges, killing 36-year-old Melissa Newton and injuring three others. He admitted to police that he drank at a charity golf event before the crash. He pleaded guilty last February to one count of DUI resulting in death and one count of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm. In September, he was sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.