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Coroner Rules Alcohol Poisoning Cause of BGSU Student's Death After Hazing Incident

The alcohol-related hazing death last month of a Bowling Green State University student has been ruled an accident.

The Lucas County Coroner’s office announced Tuesday that 20-year-old Stone Foltz died from alcohol poisoning following the hazing incident.  

Authorities have said members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity gave pledges bottles of alcohol on March 4 and encouraged each to finish an entire bottle. An attorney for Foltz’s parents has said the sophomore business major was found unconscious by a roommate after fraternity members dropped him off at his apartment. He was put on life support and died three days later after his family arranged for his organs to be donated.

The university charged the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity with violating six code of conduct rules, inclusing causing harm to others, hazing, and disrupting order or disregarding health and safety with alcohol. It placed the chapter under interim suspension, and brought in former U. S. Attorney David DeVillers to assist with the consduct investigation.

Foltz's death inspired a renewed push for increased penalties for hazing in Ohio.  Two Republican state senators said in March they would reintroduce a proposal to make alcohol- and drug-related hazzing a felony if it causes serious harm to someone.