Last week, we reported on a death on West Campus and Duke’s minimal communication regarding the matter. As of Nov. 9, the person has been identified and the University has said they will not be releasing any further information on the matter.
We updated our story from Sunday with the most recent information from the University. We received additional messages about this incident via our website and social media platforms after this update, so we are issuing this statement to explain where we currently stand on the matter.
With regard to the person involved, we do not know how the person died. We will reiterate that authorities do not suspect foul play.
In communication with one of our editors, Paul Grantham, associate vice president for communication services, suggested reaching out to the Durham medical examiner for additional information. However, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner does not release information on deaths without the name of the person, which we do not have. Therefore, this is an avenue that is not available to us.
Additionally, we are hesitant to report further given that the person was not a member of the Duke community and we are not aware of the family’s wishes. In the event that we do decide to report the manner of death, we will not release the person’s name consistent with the University’s decision.
If you have information you’d like to share with us, concerns about campus safety or communication from the University, there are multiple ways to reach us. Those can be found here.
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Nadia Bey, Trinity '23, was managing editor for The Chronicle's 117th volume and digital strategy director for Volume 118.
Leah Boyd is a Pratt senior and a social chair of The Chronicle's 118th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 117.