The father of a tragic Dundee footballer has spoken of his agony after learning his son died from an unexplained condition.
Former Arbroath SC and Tayport FC defender Peter McAvoy collapsed and died at his apartment in Herkimer, New York State, last month, at the age of just 22.
His father, also Peter, was initially told that his son had probably died from cardiomyopathy, which is a disease of the heart that can often be genetic.
However Peter, who still lives in Dundee, has now been told that his son, who was the captain of his college team Herkimer Generals, died from acute viral myocarditis.
This is an inflammation of the heart muscle, and experts have no idea what caused it.
Peter, who has vowed to keep looking for answers as to why his son died, said: “It’s just one thing after another.
“The whole process of going to America, bringing his body home and then finding out he died of something for a completely unknown reason is just horrible.
“The sad thing is that this virus doesn’t necessarily kill everyone. It just happened to attack Pete’s heart and he had no chance,” his father said.
“It possibly would have been easier for us to understand if it had been what we thought originally, as it could have been a genetic condition, which would have meant it was always going to happen.
“But, with this myocarditis, there is no definite cause and that makes it harder for me to understand.”