Cause of Death Revealed for Mom of 4 Found Dead in McDonald’s Parking Lot

The cause of death for New Zealand rugby player, Kath Wharton, has been revealed months after she was found dead in a McDonald’s parking lot, according to reports.

Mother of four and former National Rugby League Women’s Premiership (NRLW) star Wharton, 41, was discovered unresponsive in her vehicle by her husband, Andrew, on Nov. 21, 2024, per Fox Sports Australia. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

It’s now been revealed that Wharton died from sudden cardiac arrest while taking a nap in an Auckland McDonald’s parking lot after a long-haul flight from Japan, the New Zealand Herald reported, citing the coroner. She’d visited the country to attend a rugby tournament.

Hannah Cheeseman, Associate Coroner at New Zealand’s Ministry of Justice, stated a post-mortem had confirmed Wharton’s cause of death late last week, Fox Sports Australia noted. No inquiry has been ordered due to there being no suspicious circumstances, and the death falls under natural causes, per the outlet.

Wharton had COVID-19 at the time of her death, Fox Sports Australia stated, adding that Dr. Kilak Kesha, who conducted the post-mortem, had said that the virus could potentially “unmask” an existing cardiac problem.

Before her death, Wharton had been in Japan with her husband and daughter, per Fox Sports Australia. However, she ended up traveling home on a separate flight from her family and her team after a teammate’s child lost her passport, the outlet noted, adding that the athlete had stayed back and traveled with the child.

Wharton’s flight landed in Auckland before her husband’s, so she sent him a message at 12:10 p.m. local time telling him she’d have a nap at the McDonald’s and pick him up when his flight arrived, the outlet stated.

“When [Wharton] did not arrive to pick him up, or respond to messages and calls, her husband made his way to the McDonald’s. There, [Wharton] was located, unresponsive, in her vehicle,” the associate coroner’s findings noted, per the publication. Wharton was declared dead at 2:43 p.m.

Associate coroner Hannah Cheeseman and the New Zealand Coroners Court didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

Wharton represented New Zealand’s women’s rugby league team, the Kiwi Ferns, 14 times between 2008 and 2019, as well as playing three NRLW matches in 2019 for the Warriors, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported.

According to the New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) website, Wharton took a six-year hiatus from the sport after playing in the World Cup in 2013 to focus on her career and family. She was called back to her team the Kiwi Ferns in 2019 at age 35, before nabbing a Warriors contract for the second NRLW season that year.

As well as her successful rugby career, Wharton also worked for the health and wellbeing advocacy group, Healthy Families NZ, per Fox Sports Australia.

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NZRL CEO Greg Peters previously said of Wharton’s death, “Hearing this news has shocked and saddened us deeply here at NZRL,” according to the league’s website.

“Kath made such an immense contribution not only to the Kiwi Ferns jersey but to the community and the game of rugby league as a whole,” he added.

“Her passing will be felt by many, but we wish to pass our condolences to her whānau, friends, and of course the Northland community,” Peters concluded.