South Carolina teenage rodeo star Dalton Weise has tragically died suddenly, his family has revealed.
Weise, a ninth-grade student at Berkeley High School, died Wednesday night at his Moncks Corner home.
He was just 14 years old when he passed away.
His family confirmed that Weise died unexpectedly at home.
However, no cause of death has been made public and the circumstances regarding his sudden passing remain unclear.
Dalton was an accomplished athlete in multiple disciplines, including bullriding, MMA, and wrestling.
The boy’s father, JD Weise, is a detective with the Moncks Corner Police Department.
The devastated dad paid tribute to his son in a series of Facebook posts.
In one, he wrote that Dalton “had more determination and hard work in him than most adults.”
“You made me try harder at everything I did,” his father wrote on social media.
“I’m so grateful that I told you all the time in life that you WERE AND WILL ALWAYS BE MY HERO!”
While he didn’t mention his son’s cause of death, he did share a Facebook post from nurse practitioner Heather Leindecker reminding people that September is Suicide Prevention Month.
In a previous post, JD said his son will be laid to rest on Tuesday in his rodeo attire.
Dalton’s mother, Amanda Weise, shared a video showing her son gleefully cutting into a video one of his peers was recording.
“Yo! Can I get a shout-out? Hey! I want to thank my mama,” he said on the video. “Okay, that’s it.”
Amanda Weise wrote that she hoped everyone would remember Dalton as a happy person.
The teen was an honors student and a member of the Freedom Church.
Rodeo was his passion, and he belonged to a number of bull-riding organizations.
He competed in bull-riding competitions and was considered a rising star in local rodeo.
The teen was a member of the South Carolina High School Rodeo Association.
He was the Bareback Riding Champion for two years running and a reserve Bull Riding Champion, according to his obituary.
The South Carolina High School Rodeo Association addressed Dalton’s untimely death in a statement.
“Our hearts are broken,” the association said.
“Please keep our rodeo family in your prayers most especially the Weise family during this time.”
Dalton began his rodeo career at Shady Acres Rodeo.
He went on to become the ninth-best youth bull rider in the world.
The high-schooler was also an accomplished grappler, winning the Lower State Championship for wrestling when he was in eighth grade.
Justin Brown, a board member of the Gamma Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts, shared that Dalton was a member of Black Force MMA training.
In a statement, Brown wrote:
“It’s with a heavy heart we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dalton Weise.
“Heaven has gained a new young warrior and he will be truly missed.”
His hobbies included hunting with his friends and going to the gym to lift weights with his father.
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