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[Definitie:] "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance."
(Wilmore and Costill) 
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1 9 - 0 3 - 2 0 0 5 Riverview senior found dead
By CHRISTINA DENARDO
SARASOTA COUNTY -- The medical examiner's office is investigating the sudden death of a Riverview High School senior. Kenneth Kokowicz, 18, was found dead in his bedroom at his father's home on Dryden Circle about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. His father called 911 after unsuccessfully trying to wake him, according to a sheriff's report.
The medical examiner's office said there were no obvious signs of injury, illness or disease, and so it focusing on a potential drug overdose. Kokowicz showed signs of a drug overdose, including foaming at the mouth, according to the sheriff's report.
The medical examiner is waiting on the results of toxicology tests that determine the presence of any drugs or toxins, including a deadly narcotic patch called Fentanyl.
"We don't know this, but we have heard this possibility," Chief Medical Examiner Russell Vega said. "We would be looking for this anyway, but it is something we are pretty concerned about."
The Kokowicz family declined to discuss the circumstance of Kenneth's death. His stepmother said they do not know what killed him. "He went to sleep, and he didn't wake up," said Frances Kokowicz, who declined to be interviewed further and objected to a newspaper story about her stepson's death. "We lost the child, and we want to be alone with our grief."
The sudden death of Kokowicz, a bodybuilder who stood 6 feet tall and weighed 226 pounds, immediately sparked widespread rumors of steroid and narcotic patch use at Riverview High School. The rumors prompted school officials to send letters home with students that emphasized the cause of Kenneth's death is still unknown.
"In the absence of real answers, people want to fill in the blanks," said Riverview Principal Linda Nook. "We don't know how he died." Other school officials declined to be interviewed, citing the family's request that they not speak to the media.
Vega said it could be weeks before he knows why Kokowicz died. He said signs of long-term anabolic steroid use, such as changes in the liver, were not initially apparent. Toxicology results should help the medical examiner's office provide a cause of death, but results could take weeks because of a backlog.
The pain patch containing Fentanyl has been around since the 1970s but is being increasingly abused, Vega and Fire Chief Paul Dezzi said. It is designed to help cancer patients and those in severe and constant pain maintain a consistent flow of pain-relieving medication.
The increasing use of patches in Florida has prompted Dezzi to tell his rescue officials to look for the presence of patches, in addition to needles and pills, when they notice signs of an overdose. An overdose of the drug could cause respiratory failure and the buildup of fluid in the lungs. Swallowing the patches could result in death.
Kokowicz, who was born in Rochester Hills, Mich., came to Sarasota in 1988. He enjoyed bodybuilding, fishing, academics and being with his family and friends, according to his obituary.
Kokowicz lived with his mother, Linda Kokowicz-Bambrick, a pharmacist at Manatee Memorial Hospital, and his stepfather, William Bambrick, according to a sheriff's report.
He had been staying with his father, Kenneth Kokowicz, a musician, and his stepmother at their home since Saturday while his mother was away for a week, the report shows.
Survivors also include a sister, Melissa; a stepbrother, Peter McGrath; and his maternal grandmother, Margaret Nadratowski.
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