New details on the investigation into the death of an autistic teen at a private school in El Dorado Hills.

A family friend identified the teen as 13-year-old Max Benson from Davis.

She said Max had autism and was attending Guiding Hands School in El Dorado Hills. Max died a day after reportedly being restrained inside a classroom on Nov. 28.

The State Board of Education and El Dorado Sheriff’s Department are investigating what happened in this incident.

Initial reports said Max was 6 feet tall and weighed 270 pounds but a friend of his family says he was 5 feet 4 inches and 170 pounds. Neither the sheriff nor the coroner returned calls for clarification.

Guiding Hands School said it used a nationally recognized behavior management protocol to address the situation involving Max. Initial reports from the sheriff’s office said he had become violent and needed to be restrained by staff to prevent the injury of staff and students.

Officials then said he became unresponsive while being restrained. A teacher reportedly performed CPR until medical aid arrived and the 13-year-old was transported to Mercy Folsom in critical condition. He was later transferred to UC Davis Medical center where he died on Nov. 30.

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