Richmond police said Sunday they are investigating the death of a Commonwealth University student in Virginia in an off-campus home this weekend. Adam Oakes, 19, was found unanswered by officers called to the residence around 9:15 a.m. Saturday. According to a police statement, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The Oakes family told CBS affiliate WTVR-TV that they had just received an offer to join the Delta Chi fraternity. The family said drinking was involved in death and that at one point Oakes had his eyes covered.
“I’m sorry, he just couldn’t. I don’t think he can do it,” said Courtney White, Oakes’ cousin. “He ended up falling into a tree, banging his head against a tree. We don’t know if he fainted or fell unconscious. We’re not sure how he ended up on the couch.”
VCU police also assisted in the investigation. The coroner will determine how Oakes died, Richmond police said.
“This is a tragic loss for Adam’s family and members of our community,” VCU said. he said in a statement Sunday.
In that same statement on social media, VCU said it had suspended the Delta Chi fraternity. The national fraternity office also announced that it had suspended the VCU chapter, media reports reported.
A school spokesman declined to comment on whether Oakes, who is from Loudoun County, was a member of the fraternity. Alec Cardullo-Munoz, identified by WRIC-TV as Oakes’ roommate, said Oakes received an offer from the fraternity.
“He was such a good kid,” Oakes ’father Eric Oakes told WTVR. “I just wanted to be accepted and I wanted to be friends with people.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses.