ASHDOWN — Memorial services are set for Friday for an Arkansas teenager whose death may have been caused by a rare infection spread by mosquitoes.
Family members say 13-year-old Coleman Pearson was diagnosed earlier this month with eastern equine encephalitis. He died Tuesday at Arkansas Children's Hospital.
The diagnosis has not yet been confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The Texarkana Gazette reported that Arkansas hasn't had a confirmed case of the illness in more than 50 years.
The CDC says only a few cases are confirmed each year, with most occurring in Atlantic and Gulf Coast states.
On Wednesday, Coleman's classmates at Ashdown Junior High School gathered around the school's flagpole to remember the teen. His funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at Ashdown's stadium.