WSU frat boy, 19, is found dead in his dorm just 10 miles from scene of Idaho quadruple murders, as online petition claims he died after extreme hazing
- Luke Morgan Tyler, 19, was found dead in his WSU dorm room on January 22
- Police don't speculate foul play despite others warning he died due to hazing
- Tyler was a member of the campus's Theta Chi fraternity
A Washington State University freshman was found dead in his dorm room about 10 miles away from the crime scene of the Idaho quadruple murders.
Luke Morgan Tyler's body was discovered at the Perham Hall dorm at WSU's Pullman campus on January 22 around 1.30pm when police received a call from an unidentified person.
A petition has been launched seeking an investigation into the Theta Chi frat house, over claims Tyler suffered an 'inhumane' and cruel hazing there just before his death.
No cause of death has been released, and despite the petition, cops say they don't suspect foul play.
Luke Morgan Tyler, 19, was found dead in his WSU dorm room on January 22. Officials haven't released Tyler's cause of death and don't suspect foul play
The location sits just 10 miles away from the house in Moscow, Idaho where friends Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Gonvalves, both 21, as well as Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, both 20, were knifed to death in November.
Perham Hall also sits less than a mile from where suspect Bryan Kohbeger lived. He was a Ph.D student in criminology at WSU. There's no suggestion the murders are connected to Tyler's death, but the dorm tragedy further spooked locals badly-traumatized by last year's bloodbath.
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'His death directly followed a long and cruel pledging process allowed by his fraternity, Theta Chi,' the petition read. 'Their inhumane and cruel hazing forced Luke, and many others to do things nobody should ever be forced to do.'
Tyler, 19, went to school on the Pullman campus where suspected Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger attended as PhD criminology student.
Tyler was found dead about 10 miles away from where Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were killed on November 13 in the quiet, college town of Moscow, Idaho
Petition organizer Trevor Michalski demanded the fraternity be 'immediately' investigated and 'shut down.'
About 9,000 signatures were garnered as of Sunday night with several close friends of Tyler demanding justice.
'No one should ever have to go through what Luke did,' one person wrote. 'This cost him his life. This happens in college, on sports teams and high school and more. Hazing should be made illegal across the world and be a punishable crime.
'My condolences to his family and other families going through this. My daughter was good friends with him and mentioned what a nice guy he was. This could have been prevented.'
'Hazing is a degree of bullying allowed for far flung.a strong message needs to be sent stopping this practice immediately,' another added. 'Luke counted on being safe among like minded people.. clearly that was not the case.'
WSU's Theta Chi fraternity wasn't immediately available for comment.
An online petition that alleges Tyler died after extreme hazing as a part of the Theta Chi 'inhumane' pledging process. Pictured: Pullman's Theta Chi house
Petition organizers demand justice for Tyler as the investigation continues. Several insist authorities look into the frat
As the investigation continues, WSU police warned about online speculation and cautioned against internet sleuths intervening.
'There has been a significant amount of conjecture regarding the circumstances surrounding this incident and the actual cause of the student’s passing,' a police spokesperson told 4 News Now.
'I would 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 ensure that the investigation can proceed unimpeded.'
A GoFundMe was set up to support Tyler's family to 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 about online speculation and cautioned against internet sleuths intervening
Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, allegedly murdered the four University of Idaho students. He attended WSU Pullman
Police recently raided WSU in December following suspected Idaho murder Kohberger's arrest in connection to the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
All four died in their beds at their home in Moscow in the early hours of November 13 in a killing so brutal, police described the scene to DailyMail.com as 'the worst we have ever seen'.
Authorities were seen late last month inside the colleges criminology building – at the entrance to Room 12 where Kohberger shared space with two other PhD 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.
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