Norman North HS Senior's Death Is Mystery To Family

Classes will resume at Norman North High School this week without two of its students.

Police are investigating an incoming freshman's death.

Meanwhile, the death of a senior girl is a mystery to her family.

Julie Zimmerman would have been playing violin in the top orchestra group when she returned back to school on Thursday. But her sudden and unexpected death has left Julie's family and friends searching for answers.

"She was just such a sweet girl. She loved music. She had such a great sense of humor. She loved dogs," Julie's mother Larinda Zimmerman said.

After feeling ill from stomach pain for nearly a week , Julie's family found her choking in the bathroom at her father's house Friday morning. Her grandmother said Julie was rushed to Norman Regional Hospital where she later died.

"I would give everything I had to have her back on this earth," her mother said.

Larinda Zimmerman, missed multiples calls from Julie's father that day because her phone's ringer was off.

"The Midwest City police actually came to my door to tell me what happened. That just made it so much worse," she said.

Larinda Zimmerman now holds tight to a small white plush dog. It's identical to a stuffed animal she gave Julie following the divorce, in case she ever needed a hug from mom.

"Now, this is the only way I can get a hug from her," Larinda Zimmerman said.

Julie's mother plans to bury her daughter with the stuffed animal.

Still, there are lots of questions surround her death. Julie's mother hopes they can be answered with an autopsy.

"I do want to know. I know it will kill me if I find out it was something I could have helped," she said.

A visitation is scheduled for Tuesday evening for friends. Julie Zimmerman will be laid to rest on Wednesday.