Virginia fraternity suspended amid police investigation following death of 19-year-old student
‘There will truly never be another like him,’ says GoFundMe page set up in wake of Adam Oakes’ death
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has suspended a fraternity amid a police investigation into the death of a 19-year-old student over the weekend.
Adam Oakes, 19, a freshman student at VCU, was found dead at an off-campus residence close to the university by Richmond Police officers in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The medical examiner’s office is currently working to determine Mr Oakes’ cause of death, as part of a police investigation into the incident.
“This is a tragic loss for Adam’s family and members of our community, and we encourage any students in need of support to contact University Counselling Services,” the university said in a statement on Sunday afternoon.
Mr Oakes’ cousin, Courtney White, told ABC News that he had recently been rushed by VCU’s chapter of the Delta Chi fraternity and that this weekend was when his “big little reveal” was scheduled.
VCU confirmed that Delta Chi has been sent a cease-and-desist letter from both the fraternity’s national office and the university while police conduct an investigation into Mr Oakes’ death.
“We were devastated to learn of the death of a student at Virginia Commonwealth University and extend our condolences to the family, friends, and everyone touched by this heart-breaking news,” Delta Chi national office said in a statement on Sunday.
The fraternity organisation added: “We encourage all members to cooperate with law enforcement, investigative efforts and all directives of the University Administration.”
VCU urged students to contact Richmond Police if they have any information regarding Mr Oakes’ death or about the fraternity’s actions over the weekend.
Ms White also encouraged members of the fraternity and her cousin’s classmates to speak up, telling ABC: “Don’t be afraid, be brave,” and adding: “There is no healing from this, but it would give us a sense of what happened.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for funeral costs for Mr Oakes’ family, which at the time of writing has raised more than $27,000 (£19,339).
The authors of the fundraiser page said that Mr Oakes “will live on in the hearts of all who loved him so dearly,” and added: “There will truly never be another like him.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments