Police are looking into whether hazing played a role in the death of a Dartmouth College student whose body was found in a river over the weekend.
Won Jang was last seen around 9:30 p.m. Saturday by docks on the Connecticut River, and reported missing Sunday afternoon, the Hanover, New Hampshire, police department said.
His body was found at approximately 7:30 p.m. Sunday in the water about 65 feet offshore, police said.
Jang, 20, was a member of the class of 2026 and a biomedical engineering major from Middletown, Delaware, who “enthusiastically took part in the Dartmouth community,” Dartmouth’s Dean of the College Scott Brown said in a statement offering condolences to the community.
Two of Jang’s friends wrote in an email to The Dartmouth, the college’s student newspaper, that Jang had attended a joint event Saturday night between his fraternity, Beta Alpha Omega, and Alpha Phi, a sorority. The event had involved alcohol, the two friends said.
Police Chief Charles Dennis told WMUR-TV that they would be looking into the involvement of hazing.
“There is some evidence of alcohol involved, certainly from witnesses and talking with things like that,” he told the ABC affiliated news station. “Again, that’s all part of our investigation. We did receive an anonymous email this morning through the college that there may be some hazing involved, so we certainly will look into that aspect, too.”
Police have said that a cause of death for Jang has not been determined, but foul play is not suspected after an initial investigation.
“The Hanover Police Department’s investigation into this death remains active and ongoing. The Department has interviewed numerous people and is reviewing all evidence collected,” police said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
The department also said it was awaiting autopsy results “as part of reaching its determination.”
Police have not mentioned any allegations of hazing in a pair of news releases about the incident. The police department said that the matter is part of an active investigation and it would no have no further immediate comment.
A spokesperson for the college said in a statement Tuesday that Beta Alpha Omega and Alpha Phi were suspended amid the investigation.
Last fall, Dartmouth’s college newspaper reported that an unnamed incident led to the suspension of Beta Alpha Omega through the 2024 summer term, which began in June and will run until August. The same reporting found that Alpha Phi was put on alcohol probation last winter.
Police said that a cause of death for Jang has not been determined, but foul play is not suspected after an initial investigation.
“The Hanover Police Department’s investigation into this death remains active and ongoing. The Department has interviewed numerous people and is reviewing all evidence collected,” police said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
“The Department also is awaiting the results of an autopsy being performed by the Medical Examiner as part of reaching its determination,” police said.
Police have not mentioned any allegations of hazing in a pair of news releases about the incident. The police department said that the matter is part of an active investigation and it would no have no further immediate comment.
Beta Alpha Omega and Alpha Phi did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
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