UCF Frat Member Commits Suicide; School Investigating

[Discotish]

I pray for his parents, as I know this must be a hard thing for them to go through....

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UCF Frat Member Commits Suicide; School Investigating

POSTED: 6:41 am EST February 4, 2005
UPDATED: 8:02 am EST February 4, 2005

Investigations are now underway after a UCF student committed suicide in an off-campus house. The young man's parents tell Channel 9 fraternity hazing led to his death.

The university confirms it has launched an official investigation into the suicide of a member at Pi Kappa Alpha, a fraternity chapter which already has a checkered past. The Pi Kappa Alpha house is already on suspension for hazing. And, last month, the university condemned their house, citing fire code violations.

"They always find some nitpicky thing to yell at us about," frat member Alex Hanley told Channel 9 regarding the fire code violations.

But a family from south Florida claims their crusade against the fraternity is far from nitpicky. In a house close to campus, their freshman son, Pi Kappa Alpha pledge John Yancy, shot himself. The suicide is now under investigation by UCF officials.

"Well, this is very serious, without a doubt," says UCF investigator Bill Faulkner.

Yancy was Pi Kappa Alpha’s pledge president. After the suicide, detectives found drugs, paraphernalia and cash.

His parents sent a picture to the school, claiming it shows fraternity brothers forcing pledges to do drugs. They say their son was beaten in the days before his death, during what's known as hell week.

Just days before his death, Yancy was arrested for possession of cocaine and Xanax. The arrest report was with him when he died.

The fraternity president insists they do not force pledges to take drugs and, instead, claims Yancy simply abused them on his own, a habit that eventually moved him to take his own life.