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A Washington State University freshman was found dead in his dorm room about 10 miles from the crime scene of the Idaho quadruple murders.
Luke Morgan Tyler’s body was discovered in the Perham Hall dormitory on WSU’s Pullman campus on January 22 around 1:30 p.m. when police received a call from an unidentified person.
A request was launched in pursuit of an investigation into the Theta Chi frat house, into claims that Tyler suffered cruel and ‘inhumane’ hazing there just before his death.
The cause of death has not been released and, despite the request, the police say they do not suspect a crime.
The location is just 10 miles from the home in Moscow, Idaho, where friends Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Gonvalves, both 21, as well as Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, both 20, were stabbed to death in November.
Perham Hall is also less than a mile from where suspect Bryan Kohbeger lived. He was a doctoral student in criminology at WSU. There is no suggestion that the murders are related to Tyler’s death, but the bedroom tragedy further frightened locals, badly traumatized by last year’s bloodbath.
“His death directly followed a lengthy and cruel commitment process allowed by his fraternity, Theta Chi,” the petition read. “Her inhumane and cruel hazing of him forced Luke and many others to do things no one should be forced to do.”
Tyler, 19, went to the school on the Pullman campus where alleged Idaho murderer Bryan Kohberger attended as a criminology doctoral student.
Luke Morgan Tyler, 19, was found dead in his WSU dormitory on January 22. Authorities have not released Tyler’s cause of death and do not suspect a crime.
The organizer of the petition, Trevor Michalski, demanded that the fraternity be investigated “immediately” and “shut down.”
Around 9,000 signatures were garnered as of Sunday night with several close friends of Tyler demanding justice.
“No one should have to go through what Luke went through,” one person wrote. ‘This cost him his life. This happens in college, on sports teams, and in high school and more. Hazing should be illegal worldwide and be a punishable offense.
‘My condolences to his family and other families who are going through this. My daughter was good friends with him and she mentioned what a nice guy she was. This could have been avoided.
“Hazing is a degree of intimidation that is allowed at a distance. A strong message must be sent to stop this practice immediately,” added another. “Luke was counting on being safe among like-minded people… that clearly wasn’t the case.”
WSU’s Theta Chi fraternity was not immediately available for comment.
Tyler was found dead about 10 miles from where Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were killed on November 13 in the sleepy college town of Moscow, Idaho.
An online petition alleging that Tyler died after extreme hazing as part of Theta Chi’s ‘inhumane’ commitment process. Pictured: Pullman’s Theta Chi House
The organizers of the petition demand justice for Tyler while the investigation continues. Several insist that the authorities investigate the fraternity.
As the investigation continues, WSU police warned against online speculation and warned against intervening by Internet detectives.
“There has been a great deal of conjecture about the circumstances surrounding this incident and the actual cause of death for the student,” a police spokesperson told 4 News Now.
“I caution the public against speculation at this point in the investigation. The facts in this case are still being gathered. It could be several weeks before the coroner’s office determines the cause and manner of death. We want to make sure that the investigation can continue unimpeded.
A GoFundMe was set up to help Tyler’s family raise money for his funeral and donate a large sum in his name. As of Sunday, more than $11,000 had been raised.
As the investigation continues, WSU police warned against online speculation and warned against intervening by Internet detectives.
Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, allegedly murdered the four University of Idaho students. Attended WSU Pullman
Police recently raided WSU in December following Kohberger’s arrest for an alleged murder in Idaho in connection with the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
All four died in their beds at their Moscow home in the early hours of November 13 in a murder so brutal that police described the scene to DailyMail.com as “the worst we have ever seen”.
Authorities were seen late last month inside the university’s criminology building, at the entrance to Room 12, where Kohberger shared space with two other doctoral students.
The campus is a 15-minute drive from Moscow, Idaho.
Previous DailyMail.com photos also showed police searching his home at the Steptoe Village apartment complex in Pullman, Washington.