What to Know
- SUNY Oneonta freshman Daniel William Michaels, of Dix Hills, died from cardiac arrest after someone noticed him blacked out on a couch
- Preliminary toxicology reports indicate the business and econ major had a mix of amphetamines, benzodiazepines and alcohol in his system
- He had last been at a house where members of a fraternity live; the frat, Alpha Pi, isn't recognized on campus
A Long Island college student died after being found slumped over at a house party off of a State University of New York campus with a fatally toxic mix of drugs and alcohol in his bloodstream over the weekend, according to a published report.
SUNY Oneonta freshman Daniel William Michaels, of Dix Hills, died from cardiac arrest after someone noticed him unconscious on a couch at a house where members of a fraternity lived early on Saturday, according to The Daily Star of Ostego County.
School officials say the fraternity, Alpha Pi, isn't recognized by SUNY Oneonta.
A coroner said preliminary toxicology report indicates that Michaels, who was studying business and economics, had a mix of amphetamines, benzodiazepines and alcohol in his system. A full toxicology report is set to be released in four to six weeks.
According to the newspaper, students called 911 after someone picking up another student saw Michaels on the couch. But before police arrived on scene, someone else drove the unconscious 18-year-old to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said they were investigating how he might have obtained the drugs and where else he was earlier in the night. But foul play is not suspected in the case.
SUNY Oneonta President Nancy Kleniewski announced Michaels' death in an email to campus over the weekend.
Local
Family members said that this wasn't the first tragedy for the family: Michaels' twin brother Justin was killed after a cherry tree fell on him at a day camp when he was 4 years old, in 2004.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the fraternity to which the residents of the house where Michaels was found belonged . The home's residents were members of Alpha Pi, an unrecognized, underground Greek group.
