Parents of Dead SMU Student Search for the Truth
By Alison Gonzalez
Published on June 13, 2007
Thomas and Rhonda Stiles said Friday that the university and police have done little to determine who provided the couple's 20-year-old son with the narcotics that ultimately killed him. Last December, the Stiles' son, Jacob, was found dead in his room at SMU's Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house. The medical examiner concluded that Jacob died from a combination of cocaine, alcohol, and the powerful painkiller fentanyl.
The Stiles said text messages on Jacob’s cell phone reveal that a fraternity brother may have supplied Jacob with the drugs; however, no charges have been filed.
The contents of Jacob’s text messages also indicate that substance abuse may be a serious problem at SMU, said Thomas Stiles. Two other students recently died from excessive drug or alcohol use. Still, SMU has not started treating seriously the issue of student drug use, he said.
Patti LaSalle, associate vice president and executive director of public affairs at SMU, said the school places great emphasis on the health of its students.
University president Gerald Turner wrote a letter to alumni and friends on Monday, which said the school has formed a Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention to deal with the existing problem.
Still, things have been difficult for the Stiles. A fraternity brother may have provided the lethal drugs to Jacob, and the university has refused to do anything about it, Thomas Stiles said.
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