WSU dorm death: Luke Tyler recalls hazing allegations

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Friends of a Washington State University student who was found dead in his dorm earlier this month are sharing stories of 19-year-old prankster tendencies and light-hearted ways as forces of the order are investigating the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

Luke Morgan Tyler, a freshman at WSU, was found dead in one of the residence halls on the Pullman campus on Jan. 22 when police responded to a 911 call, spokesman Phil Weiler said. from college. The Whitman County Coroners Office has yet to release details of the cause and circumstances of Tyler’s death, and police “found no evidence of foul play at the scene,” Weiler said. .

Tyler’s friends described the last time they saw him a few weeks earlier at the end of his winter vacation.

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An undated photo shows dead WSU freshman Luke Tyler (GoFundMe)

“We were literally hanging out with him the day before he got home,” said Matthew Brandjes, who along with several other friends of Tyler’s knew each other in the Redmond, Wash., area where Tyler grew up. “I remember we were driving around the neighborhood, hanging out, we parked at his place, and we all just got out of the car and we exchanged hugs. Just like, see you soon, you know?”

He added: “I don’t think anyone really understood what was about to happen.”

Brandjes and five other friends of Tyler spoke to Fox News Digital on Monday as they continue to deal with the sudden loss of their frequent exercise partner who, inside and outside the gym, “has helped in every possible way”.

An undated photo shows deceased WSU freshman Luke Tyler (Everloved Memorial Page)

Brandjes recalled Tyler’s ability to “make every person laugh, no matter who he was talking to, it could have been an old grandma. It could have been a little kid”, when they worked together at a local Home Depot store .

“He was walking around and just leaving smiles on everyone’s face,” he said.

Nearly half a dozen friends have described Tyler’s ability to start a prank in one instance, when he smeared one of their cars in peanut butter and then another in jelly.

Artemiy Thayer said Tyler got her a job at a local swimming pool, even though they barely knew each other at the time. When Thayer forgot his bathing suit for the first day on the job, Tyler “immediately helped me out.”

Undated photo posted to the Everloved Memorial Page, by someone who knew Luke Morgan Tyler (Everloved Memorial Page)

“I really got to see it for what it was really just working with kids,” he said. “I think in general kids can always tell who’s a good person or not. He was by far anybody’s favorite.”

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Weiler, the WSU spokesman, said information about Tyler’s death was “still being collected.” He warned “against speculation at this stage of the investigation”. It could be weeks before Tyler’s cause and manner of death are released, he said.

A spokesperson for the Whitman County Coroners Office did not respond to questions Tuesday about the circumstances of the death inquest.

A Washington State University police cruiser. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

Yousuf Elswify, one of Tyler’s friends back home, set up a GoFundMe page to support the Tyler family and raised over $11,200 before the account was deactivated pending further details.

Colleen Tyler, the victims’ mother, wrote in a statement on the page that her family was “overwhelmed by the tremendous generosity, compassion and kindness you have shown Luke and our family through your donations.”

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“With your donations, we intend to pay for his memorial service and make a significant donation in his name to a cause close to his heart,” she wrote. “We are exploring options that will allow us to pay for his legacy of kindness.”

The family has created a memorial webpage in honor of Tylers, although funeral or memorial plans have yet to be announced.

This undated photo shows Luke Morgan Tyler with his friend Trevor Michalski. (Photo courtesy of Trevor Michalski)

Tyler’s inner circle declined to discuss his experience at WSU, but pointed to an online petition created by Trevor Michalski, a friend from the Redmond area. In the petition, Michalski wrote that Tyler’s death “followed a long and cruel process of commitment authorized by his fraternity.

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“Their inhuman and cruel hazing forced Luke and many others to do things no one should ever be forced to do,” the petition further states, calling for an investigation into the brotherhood.

A university spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment regarding the hazing allegations and did not say whether any of WSU’s fraternities were under investigation.

Stephanie Pagones is a digital reporter for FOX Business and Fox News. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @steph_pagones.

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