Wilson remembered her son as an intelligent young man who had a bright future ahead of him.
“His smile could light up a room, and his presence brought joy to our family and friends,” she wrote in the GoFundMe.
Teen Found Unresponsive in His Room by His Mom and Dies Just 1 Day Before High School Graduation
Posted by hoangduc - June 25, 2026
An 18-year-old Virginia teen unexpectedly died of cardiac arrest just one day before he was set to graduate from high school, his family said.
“As a mother, I was excited to watch him step into adulthood and pursue his dreams,” Rasнιтa Wilson wrote in a GoFundMe about her son, Dominic McClair, who died last week. “Instead, I am now faced with the unimaginable task of planning my son’s funeral.”
Wilson was checking on Dominic in his room on June 11 — the same day that Dominic’s cousin was visiting the family’s home to give the teen a haircut ahead of his graduation —when she found his body, she told Fox affiliate WAVY.
“I went into his room,” she said. “He had his headphones on like regular. He had his TV on, he was listening to his music, watching TV like he usually do. I flipped on the light and I said, ‘Hey Dominic.’ I said it twice, and he didn’t say anything … he had his headphones on. And then I noticed he was just laying there with his eyes up, and I’m like, ‘Dominic, Dominic…’ So I go and I try to wake him up, and he just wasn’t moving.”
Dominic’s sister, Sierra, checked his pulse and the family called 911. According to Wilson, the line was busy and they kept dialing until a dispatcher became available.
Paramedics then arrived and Dominic was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.
The teen had no previous history or signs of health issues, according to Dominic’s loved ones.
“He was only one day away from walking across the stage to receive his high school diploma,” Wilson said, per the GoFundMe. “What should have been one of the proudest moments of our lives has become the most heartbreaking.”
Wilson noted in her GoFundMe that she had experienced losses in her family over the past few years, including her aunt, nephew and brother — and now her son.
“I find myself asking God why, trying to understand how so much heartbreak can happen to one family,” she wrote. “Yet each day, I continue to wake up and do my best to stay strong for my other four children, who are also trying to navigate this devastating loss.”
After Dominic’s death, Wilson and their family attended his high school graduation on his behalf.
“They had roped off a whole spot for our family and everybody who was coming for Dominic at the convention center,” Wilson told WAVY. “So when they called his name, his counselor, who I love so much, she loves him. We both cried that morning. She brought me his diploma.”
✓ hoangduc
An 18-year-old Virginia teen unexpectedly died of cardiac arrest just one day before he was set to graduate from high school, his family said. “As a mother,…