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The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services identified a water feature at a community organization in Durham as the most likely source of the brain eating amoeba that killed a North Carolina teenager in August.
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NCDHHS announced a central North Carolina teenager had been infected with Naegleria fowleri, a rare brain-eating amoeba found in warm freshwater on Aug. 27. The teenager died on Aug. 31.
The investigation does not “conclusively determine” where the teen was exposed, but the findings suggest he was exposed by splashing water onto his face at a water feature outside El Futuro in Durham. The water feature was closed on Aug. 28, and it subsequently tested positive for Naegleria fowleri.
“NC Department of Health and Human Services and Durham County Public Health informed El Futuro that testing identified the presence of Naegleria fowleri in a water feature at our green space. Our hearts are broken for the young boy who lost his life and for his family. We are committed to supporting his family and our community through this devastating loss. We will continue to fully cooperate with public health officials. The water feature has been closed since we were first contacted by county officials,” El Futuro said over email.
Interviews with the patient’s family identified several possible sources of the infection in Durham County, Alamance County and Orange County, including ponds, a pool and the water feature. The possible exposure sites were tested by the Center For Disease Control and NCDHHS, in coordination with local health departments.
The teenager was identified as Moises Ponce Mendoza on GoFundMe by his mother, Mónica Mendoza. Mendoza did an interview with N+ Univision 40 on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
In Spanish, Mendoza said, “The last time we went to a pool that is in Carrboro. And afterwards, from there we went to, I went to, an appointment that I had at El Futuro Clinic. And El Futuro Clinic has a fountain outside that, even my daughter told me, that [they] had wet their face with the water from the fountain.”
State Public Health Veterinarian Carl Williams had previously confirmed to The Charlotte Observer there were several possible locations being investigated.
Naegleria fowleri infects people after water containing the amoeba goes up the nose. It causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis. While fewer than 10 people typically die of primary amebic meningoencephalitis yearly, nearly everyone with PAM dies, according to the Center for Disease Control.
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A Louisiana child died of Naegleria fowleri on Aug. 8, shortly after her eighth birthday. Previous reporting by The Guardian shows that rising temperatures associated with climate change have caused the rare illness to be seen in the Midwest, along with the South.
In 2019, an infection was reported in Cumberland County. In 2016, a college student died of an infection after capsizing a raft at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. Her family eventually settled with the center, The Observer previously reported.
The infections typically occur in hot weather, as the amoeba grows best at 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
While it isn’t possible to entirely eliminate Naegleria fowleri from the environment, some safety precautions can help, according to NCDHHS.
At the time of reporting, Mendoza’s GoFundMe has raised $14,300 of a $16,000 goal. The fundraiser was originally set to raise $7,500, The News & Observer reported.
“He was a very dear boy, with a good heart,” Mendoza told N+ Univision 40.
Parts of this story were previously published in The Charlotte Observer. This story has been updated.
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This story was originally published September 15, 2026 at 12:54 PM.