Three fraternity leaders in Arizona charged with hazing after student found dead

Three leaders of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity at Northern Arizona University were arrested and charged with hazing after an 18-year-old pledge candidate was found dead on Saturday morning following a rush event on Friday night in Flagstaff, the police said. Just before 8:45 a.m., officers responded to a report that a student was unresponsive at a residence near the main campus, the Flagstaff Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.

Bystanders, officers and paramedics tried to revive the student but were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The authorities did not name the student, but said his family had been notified. Police said preliminary information indicated the student attended an event at the residence the night before and that witnesses told detectives many attendees, including pledge candidates, were drinking alcohol.

As a result of an investigation, three students and executive board members of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity — Carter Eslick, Ryan Creech and Riley Cass, all 20 years old — were arrested and charged with hazing, the police said. It was not immediately clear whether the three had legal representation.

Northern Arizona University said it had suspended the fraternity.

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