A Boston University student died early Saturday morning at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, BU officials said.
College of Engineering freshman Anthony Barksdale II was transported from 22 Wadsworth St. in Allston to St. Elizabeth’s, where he was later pronounced dead, said BU spokesman Colin Riley.
BU President Robert Brown said a cause of death has not yet been determined in an email to the BU community.
“The thoughts and prayers of all of us go out to the family and friends who are experiencing this heartbreaking loss,” Brown said in his email. “… When we learn more about the wishes of the family we will communicate about memorial events.”
Boston Police Department officers are investigating the circumstances of the death.
Officers responded to 22 Wadsworth St. after receiving a radio call for an unconscious male around midnight Saturday morning, a BPD spokeswoman said.
Police officers did not observe any visible injuries or trauma on Barksdale, according to the BPD news blog. No further details were released as the death is currently being investigated.
Barksdale was from New Hampshire and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity.
Sigma Alpha Mu members declined to make any comments at this time.
Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said the entire BU community is saddened by the loss.
“It’s always tragic when we lose someone that we know and that we consider part of our family or our group, particularly when they’re young,” he said in an interview. “I hope I can speak for all of us at the university — and certainly for the students at the university — when I say we wish his family real peace. We want to make sure they know this affects us all.”
Elmore said students are encouraged to seek grief counseling during this difficult time.
“We always have services available for people, be it religious, counseling or just having someone to talk to,” he said. “… It’s helpful just to check in with someone and make sure you’re going to be alright.”
Counselors are available for students through Marsh Chapel and Student Health Services, Elmore said. Residence Life officials are also available to offer support for students.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
