LOGAN, Utah — Authorities are investigating the death of Utah State University fraternity pledge Michael Starks as a case of hazing.
Logan Police Chief Russ Roper said that an investigation is “very close” to complete and that investigators will have sufficient probable cause for criminal charges.
Starks, 18, was pronounced dead at Logan Regional Hospital on Friday morning after he was found unresponsive at the Sigma Nu fraternity house.
“We believe it was part of an initiation process for membership into the fraternity,” Roper said.
Police were waiting for the results of a state medical examiner’s autopsy to determine an official cause of death.
Funeral services for Starks were Tuesday in Salt Lake City.
Police have interviewed nearly a dozen people, including members of Utah State’s Greek community and someone who acknowledged providing Starks with alcohol.
Police reports indicate that Starks had been drinking Thursday night before falling asleep at the fraternity home. He was later found not breathing.
Police say Starks’ blood-alcohol content was higher than 0.35 percent the day he died, more than four times the legal limit to drive an automobile.
Sigma Nu’s executive director, Brad Beacham, was in Logan on Monday to meet with police and school officials.
The Utah State chapter has declined to comment. All chapter activities have been suspended, a move Beacham said is standard procedure.
