Image: Bronski Beat @ Flickr

A teenage footballer’s death has turned into a mystery following a postmortem yesterday morning.

Louis Buxton, 17, from Croydon, is believed to have died after drinking a large quantity of alcohol, but after the postmortem exam the police are treating the death as “unexplained”.

There have been claims that on the night of his death, Louis had downed up to two pints of vodka. He was taken to Croydon University Hospital in the early hours of Saturday morning but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Friends paid tribute to him Sunday afternoon at his school, Langley Park. They describe him as a “lovely, beautiful, cheeky person” and as being “irreplaceable, a legend.”

Speaking of the tragedy, headteacher Rob Northcott said: “Louis was a nice boy. I’ve been with his family over the last couple of days and we are desperate to find out what happened.”

Louis played for Beckenham Town Juniors and was known as a talented footballer and the joker of the team. His coach, Carl Norman, describes him as “a great lad who will be really missed.”

A police spokesperson said: “We are treating the death as unexplained and await the results from the postmortem examination.”

The toxicology report results from the postmortem may take up to six weeks.