Choking Game Kills Jefferson Teen Michael Nalley

The choking - or fainting game - involves intentionally trying to choke oneself - to get a short high. A devastated family said that game killed a teenage family member.

A Jefferson mother said her son played it and didn't survive.

"I don't want this to happen to anybody else. I don't want any other mother to feel what I've felt," said Melissa Nalley.

Nalley said she waed her 16-year-old son Michael about alcohol, drugs and speeding. She said she never thought she'd have to worry about a game.

A family member noticed a light on in Michael's room late Tuesday and found him unconscious with a belt around his neck.

"I believe he was in his room playing the game and he passed out before he could stand up and he choked himself to death," said Nalley.

The mother said she never heard about the so-called "choking game." Michael's friends are now gathering around her for support.

Michael's friend Chuck Best said, "I did it back in the 7th grade. I was with friends - and we set limits - but it was still a mistake to do it. I regret it now that one of my friends did it and didn't make it through."

Friends are now getting the message out about Michael's death by writing on their windshields, while family members have started passing out pamphlets in area shopping centers, educating others about the choking game.

Nalley, left only with her son's football pictures and wrestling medals, said she wants others to lea from her pain.

"That's what I want, to help someone else, for his death to not be in vain. Maybe it will save someone else's life. And they won't have to go through what we're going through," she said.

Some waing signs a parent can look for are bloodshot eyes, marks on the neck and the unexplained presence of things like ropes. In most cases, people are alone when they play the game.

The coroner said Michael died of asphyxiation.