Originally published April 24, 2009 at 9:25 a.m., updated April 26, 2009 at 8:49 p.m.
KU Public Safety Officer Richard Whitis Jr. exits a stairwell gate behind Watkins Scholarship Hall, where the body of KU freshman Dalton Hawkins was discovered on the back lawn Friday morning. Residents of the hall reported that someone had tried to break into the building's sleeping porch about 2 a.m. Friday morning. Although police have not stated whether the two incidents were related, they have determined that Hawkins did fall from the three-story roof.
Dalton Hawkins, Shawnee freshman, was found dead Friday morning after falling off the roof of Watkins Scholarship Hall.
A preliminary autopsy report released by the Shawnee County Coroner’s office Sunday indicated the cause of death was blunt traumatic injuries to the head and chest as a result of a three-story fall from Watkins’ roof. Hawkins suffered injuries to his heart, left lung and ribs. The coroner’s office determined the death to be accidental.
The initial preliminary drug test was “presumptively positive for alcohol.”
His body was discovered at about 8 a.m. Friday near the hall, a release from University Relations confirmed at 2 p.m Friday. Hawkins was a pre-pharmacy student and member of the Mount Oread Scholars Program living in Ellsworth Hall.
Hawkins was a member of Alpha Kappa Lambda, a colony working toward recognition as an official University fraternity, said Keenan Soto, Overland Park, sophomore and vice president for the fraternity.
Members of Alpha Kappa Lambda were notified of Hawkins' death at about 8:30 a.m., Soto said.
Video
Tragedy has gripped the campus again. Police are investigating the death of freshman Dalton Hawkins. Just before 8 a.m. this morning a scholarship hall director found the body of Hawkins, a freshman from Shawnee, dead, behind Watkins Scholarship Hall.
Soto said he and Hawkins attended a Kansas City Wizards soccer game Thursday evening as part of a greek night promotion. Soto said he last saw Hawkins when a bus dropped the group off at the Lied Center at about 10:15 p.m.
Soto said he and other members of the fraternity were trying to retrace Hawkins' steps from the last time they saw him. Soto said he had tried contacting the person he believed Hawkins spent the rest of the evening with. He said he didn't think Hawkins knew anyone who lived in Watkins Scholarship Hall.
"I've talked to a few of his close friends and people in the frat, and he had no reason to be down there," Soto said.
Soto described Hawkins as a funny, outgoing friend who was "a blast to be around."
"He was a a great friend to all of us," Soto said. "He had a great head on his shoulders."
Members of Alpha Kappa Lambda gathered Friday afternoon to mourn the loss of their brother, Soto said.
The KU Public Safety Office said it appeared foul play wasn't involved in Hawkin's death. An official at the Shawnee County Coroner's Office confirmed that Hawkins' body had been transferred to its office in Topeka.
A Lawrence fireman steps down off the fire escape ladder atop Watkins Scholarship Hall Friday morning. The KU Public Safety Office discovered a body on the ground behind Watkins around 8 a.m. Friday.
A Watkins Scholarship Hall resident reported an attempted break-in at the hall's sleeping porch from the fire escape at about 2 a.m. Friday. A window was broken on the fire escape door during the alleged break-in. Police are still investigating whether the two incidents are related.
At 9:02 a.m., students were notified by a University alert e-mail stating that campus and Lawrence police had discovered Hawkins' body behind Watkins Scholarship Hall. The e-mail said there was no imminent threat and asked that students avoid going near the scholarship hall.
“It is with a heavy heart that we learn of the death of Dalton Hawkins, a young man who clearly had a bright future ahead of him," Chancellor Robert Hemenway said in a news release. "On behalf of the entire University community, I offer deepest condolences to his family and friends. He will be missed."
For more updates check back with Kansan.com.
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Comments
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
I am Jason's cousin, and he would be sickened at some of these comments. Please pray for the family, and do all you can to prevent this from happening again, wherever it may occur.
God be with you, and please, take care of each other!
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
DenverDad, do you not have anything better to do than to troll KU websites trying to create conspiracy theories about KU and it's students drinking?
Continually shifting the blame onto the university isn't going to make up for your lack of parenting skills and your son's irresponsibility that killed him in the first place.
Stop being such an insolent prick badmouthing the university. Unlike some posters, a majority of the readers on this site are affiliated somehow through either their studies or professional careers. We do not appreciate you making our organization look poorly when in fact it is a wonderful place to be a part of.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
DenverDad, is drinking at KU somehow more lethal than at other places? I made it out of KU just fine...
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
And now that it has been announced that this man was a Fraternity member, watch as DenverDad swarm.
I really hope you don't exploit this man's death, Mr. Wren. Young people die all the time of a variety of things. Nothing has been released yet, so I think it would be disrespectful to assume that he was drinking. He could have fallen, he could have had some kind of condition...we don't know until the reports come out.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
PLEASE watch yourself and your words, Mr. Wren. You've done nothing but cause the student body and greek community to come together even more in protest of everything YOU do and say.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
I am appalled at all of you. For the love of God, leave this alone. It is none of your business and this commenting is not an appropriate way to express your opinion or feelings.
Hot4Teacher, how dare you?! ENTERTAINING? Are you completely stupid and unfeeling? I hope I don't know you, I would be ashamed. This isn't a reality show on MTV! Go back to your inane life, you prick.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
Appalled at all of you? I was aiming to defend the reputation of a man against baseless slurs and accusations in the original comment. Get off your high horse.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
No, I don't. I don't know Happy.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
sigh
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
I'll make book that his BAC is high! KU drinking strikes again!
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
At this point in time, we have nothing to go on so such speculation is premature and speculative. Like Cindy Sheehan, you have spent all your sympathy.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
Dear Editor, Why is this student's fraternity membership more relevant than the fact that he was an honors student?
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
DenverDad, your son died because of his own irresponsibility. Book is closed, and get off this website, and leave everyone else alone. Don't you have a job?
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
And if it was none of anybody's business, it wouldn't be printed in the media. A member of the Jayhawk community was lost today. This affects everybody.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
Sheesh, you know Happy didn't mean it that way. How about you get down off of yours?
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
I apologize for being all pissy. I've had a rough day.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
Hendrix has a valid point.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
Tragic that KU has lost three promising students in a 10 month span. Please don't lose sight of what this article addresses (Dalton's death). Don't turn it into another thread bashing the Wren family, the Greek system, KU etc.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
To those of you commenting on the cause of his death: have you heard of a myriad of heart problems, some congenital, that can cause sudden unexplained death? I once had a friend, Andrew Rotman, I played Pinochle with at Perkins who suffered a sudden death due to a heart problem. He was a good guy, didn't drink as far as I knew, and he was a blast to play Pinochle with. (I only say his name because his death was covered by the Kansan.)
Mr. Wren: I once saw a very interesting episode of "Dr. G, Medical Examiner" on Discovery Health. On that show, a coroner, Dr. Jan C. Garavaglia ("Dr. G"), examines unexplained cases of death and often presents surprising conclusions.
The most relevant case is this: a 23-year-old college student had drunk a lot, was vomiting and fell very ill. Emergency help was summoned for him. The paramedics tried to help him, but he died on the way to the hospital. Everyone thought the case was clear-cut alcohol poisoning. In his house, they found alprazolam, a sedating anxiolytic drug of the benzodiazepine class, which potentiates the CNS depressant effects of alcohol - lending more credence to the alcohol poisoning theory. The shocking toxicology results came back, however, and it turns out that they showed no benzodiazepines in his system, and his blood alcohol level was far from lethal.
However, he did have something surprising in his system: methadone. Even though it's gentler than heroin, methadone is still an opioid, and a very potent one. It's dangerous to those not tolerant to opioids, and potentially fatal in even small doses, especially when combined with alcohol.
The moral of this story: even clear-cut alcohol poisoning cases might turn out to be a mix of drugs that are more lethal in combination. Also, when alcohol levels are unknown, congenital and other heart arrythmias can cause sudden death in an otherwise healthy person!
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
What's it matter if this boy was drinking or not? Unforturnately, teenagers (and adults)drink to excess all over the country, probably all over the world. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in death. This is not KU's fault, these things happen at universities all over the country. It's not just a "KU thing". Also unfortunately, though, a man recently lost his son when he was out of his care. When we lose someone we love, we want to blame someone, so we search for someone to blame. It's very easy to blame KU, the Greek system, alcohol, his friends, etc, but it's not the fault of any of these things. It was a poor choice made by an individual. It's a tragic, unfortunate, unthinkable accident, twist of fate, whatever you call things like this. Now another family has lost their son, nephew, grandson, brother, friend to a horrible accident. Let's look at the real issue, children have died, and quit worrying about how or why and quit trying to place blame. And, EVERYONE, don't hate, it only makes things worse. Think about their loved ones. Their families are definitely in my thoughts and they have my deepest sympathy during this time.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
Drinking: Making bad ideas seem like good ideas since 4000 BC
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
Of course blame cannot lay solely on any one group or person. I do, however, think it is important to ask tough questions of the organizations that condone dangerous drinking behaviors (many fraternities and sororities as well as the majority of students outside of the Greek system) and of the University that turns a blind eye to obvious problems related to alcohol abuse among the student population. This is not an easy problem to tackle, but in the absence of any leadership from the University, we have had two alcohol-related deaths in a short time span with countless other alcohol-related crimes and incidents. To assume that Dalton's death was a simple case of a young man making a poor decision which had nothing to do with the culture of alcohol abuse that has been a part of the culture here at KU is totally ignorant of the reality of the situation. The reality is that if alcohol wasn't such a huge part of the college experience, Dalton may not have decided, in a presumably inebriated state, to go up on a roof, and may not have fallen to his death.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
To all those at KU, pleae go here and watch the film. This should be required viewing at all dorms, schol halls and greek houses. It should be required of all incoming students.
http://www.gordie.org/home.aspx
please all of you....spread the word. Condolences to the family and friends of those men lost this year. We don't want to lose any more Jayhawks. Post this link on all your facebook pages and email it to all you know. Hope this loss is not alcohol related but so many are. Read the stats and be educated to the signs. Copy the signs and carry it in your wallet. Help yourself, and help your friends stay alive.
KU Freshman found dead after falling off roof
Just so you all know, HAZE the movie is NOT about HAZING entirely but about the binge drinking culture. 1700 students die due annually to the drinking culture that is NOT THE SAME as when I was at KU. DenverDad, I read about the loss of your son and my heart goes out to you. I have a son in grad school working on his PhD and hear stories of the drinking there from his time 03-07. It chills the blood. My daughter is a junior at UT - Austin (number one party school in the country after they won the National Championship in football). I hear the stories there and see the pictures. Their Greek system has viewed this film and still it DOESN'T STOP. They have lost students too. Most campuses have. It is epidemic. There is no blame, people. It is a combination of factors. Parents don't realize what is happening on the campuses (because it is VERY different from when we were there), the WIDE acceptance and peer pressure to belong in a new environment. The Greek system where parents want their kids to have as much "fun" as they had when they were there, the passing of traditions and experiences to a group of young, naive, uneducated group of students who think they will live forever and "it won't happen to me". The Universities look away because the rich alums whose kids attend there want to withdraw $$ if the leadership chooses to try to crack down on the drinking by banning parties and sanctioning houses. There have been riots on campuses where administration has banned parties. The romance of drinking that is pushed by the media over and over again. It is everywhere, print ads, movies, and it is glamorized. But people we DO have a nationwide problem. One death is TOO MANY. The biggest thing that can be done is PARENTS, education yourselves by watching this film. This is happening EVERYWHERE
Denverdad, don't listen to these heartless comments. I am ashamed to read them. The words of immature people who feel they have to defend what they value, no matter who it kills. It is not KU, the university system, nor the kids, nor the parents, nor the Greek system all by itself. It is our culture and until we say ENOUGH, it will go on.
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