PORTLAND (AP) – The death of a University of Maine freshman soccer player from England during the Thanksgiving Day weekend was apparently alcohol-related, police said Monday.

An autopsy on Adam Baxter, 19, was performed at the state medical examiner’s office, where a spokeswoman said additional tests were pending and it could be four or five months before the cause of death is determined.

One week before Baxter’s death, Adam Beggs, 18, of Auburn died of apparent alcohol poisoning after a party at an Auburn apartment. Larando Sweeting, 23, of Auburn faces a felony charge of furnishing the alcohol and could, if convicted, face up to five years in prison.

Baxter was found dead early Saturday morning at a home on Forest Avenue by an ambulance crew and police who responded to a call that a man was having trouble breathing.

Deputy Police Chief Bill Ridge said investigators have been interviewing others at the house and are trying to reconstruct what happened before Baxter’s body was found. “Our suspicion at this point is that we believe alcohol was involved,” Ridge said.

Four people, all in the 19 to 21 age range, were in the house, which belonged to the parents of a student at the university, the deputy chief said.

The results of the investigation will be forwarded to the Cumberland County district attorney’s office for a determination on whether criminal charges are warranted.

Baxter, of Skegness, England, was named earlier this month to the 2007 America East All-Rookie soccer team. A midfielder, he started in 16 or 17 games during the season.

UMaine Athletic Director Blake James called Baxter’s death “a horrible tragedy.”

“Adam was a member of our athletic family and will be greatly missed,” James said.

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