Hospital tests found a ‘highly elevated’ blood alcohol level in the body of a Louisiana State University student whose death police are investigating as a possible result of fraternity hazing, a coroner said Friday.
Blood and urine tests also detected the presence of marijuana in the body of 18-year-old Maxwell Raymond Gruver, according to a statement from East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Beau Clark’s office.
Preliminary autopsy results Friday found no internal or external trauma, but did find ‘marked cerebral and pulmonary edema,’ or swelling in the brain and lungs.
The freshman from Roswell, Georgia, who was being considered for membership in the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, died Thursday after being treated at a Baton Rouge hospital for an unspecified ‘medical emergency,’ university spokesman Ernie Ballard said.
An autopsy found the presence of alcohol and marijuana in the system of Maxwell Raymond Gruver, 18
Grover, a Louisiana State University freshman, died in what is being investigated as a possible fraternity hazing incident. Phi Delta Theta, the fraternity involved in the investigation, has been suspended
Clark’s office said final autopsy results are pending toxicology and histological testing that could take up to four weeks to complete.
‘The death of Maxwell Gruver was tragic and untimely,’ said LSU President F. King Alexander, who offered his ‘deepest sympathies and prayers’ to the student’s family and friends.
‘As we have continually warned over and over again, hazing is dangerous, irresponsible and unacceptable, and it will not be tolerated at LSU. Period,’ Alexander said.
The Phi Delta Theta house has been suspended by the university and its national chapter, and ‘all Greek activities’ have been suspended as well pending the outcome of the LSU police investigation, Alexander said.
Phi Delta Theta, the fraternity implicated in the incident, has been suspended by the university and its national chapter
Pictured is a view of Louisiana State University. LSU President F. King Alexander said: ‘As we have continually warned over and over again, hazing is dangerous, irresponsible and unacceptable, and it will not be tolerated at LSU. Period’
Alexander said police are investigating allegations that alcohol was a factor in Gruver’s death, and that he wasn’t aware of any immediate arrests.
A statement on the national fraternity’s website called the death of the ‘prospective member’ heartbreaking. Disciplinary action will be decided once the investigation is complete, it said.
‘We’re committed to investigating this situation thoroughly. The chapter and any individuals who are found to have violated our policies will be held accountable,’ Phi Delta Theta Executive Vice President and CEO Bob Biggs said.