Richmond police said on Sunday that they are investigating the death of a Virginia Commonwealth University student in an off-campus residence this weekend. Adam Oakes, 19, received no response on Saturday around 9:15 am by agents called to the residence. According to a police press release, he was pronounced dead on the spot.
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Oakes’ family told CBS partner WTVR-TV that he had just received an offer to join the Delta Chi fraternity. The family said heavy drinking was involved in the death and that Oakes was blindfolded at one point.
‘I’m sorry, he just couldn’t. I don’t think he can take it, ”said Courtney White, Oakes’s cousin. He eventually fell into a tree and hit a tree with his head. We don’t know if he passed out or was unconscious. We’re not sure how he ended up on the couch. ‘
The VCU police also assisted in the investigation. The medical examiner will determine how Oakes died, Richmond police said.
“This is a tragic loss to Adam’s family and members of our community,” VCU said in a statement on Sunday.
In that same social media statement, VCU said it had suspended the Delta Chi fraternity. The fraternity’s national office also announced that it had suspended the VCU division, the media reported.
A school spokesman declined to say if Oakes, who is from Loudoun County, was a member of the fraternity. Alec Cardullo-Munoz, identified by WRIC-TV as Oakes’ roommate, said Oakes had received a bid from the fraternity.
“He was such a good boy,” Oakes’ father Eric Oakes told WTVR. “He just wanted to be accepted and he wanted to make friends with people.”
A GoFundMe has been established to help the family with funeral expenses.