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http://www.timesfreepress.com/2001/oct/12oct01/webstn1012sewaneedeath.html
SEWANEE, Tenn. -- A University of the South freshman died early Thursday morning when he was crushed in a trash compactor at an off-campus library, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.
Wesley Mitchell, 19, of Manchester, Vt., died after he slid down "what he thought was a laundry chute" at the Templeton Library, a multistory building two miles off campus on state Highway 56, said Chief Deputy Tim Fuller.
Mr. Mitchell dropped four stories through a garbage chute and into a motion-activated compactor.
The victim was pronounced dead shortly after 2 a.m. CDT by Franklin County Medical Examiner Dr. Keith Brown. An autopsy was performed in Nashville Thursday, authorities said, but no preliminary results have been reported.
According to Chief Fuller, Mr. Mitchell and eight or nine other students were inside the newly constructed building after it had closed. The library, he said, isn't "fully functional yet," and had become a place where some students hang out.
"We're not sure how they got inside, but I'm sure we'll find that out in the next several days," Chief Fuller said. "And at this point, it's unclear if alcohol or drugs contributed to the death."
As of Thursday, the university had taken no disciplinary action against the other students, and no charges had been filed by the Sheriff's Department. Their names have not been released, and the death is still under investigation.
Submitted on 01/09/02
Submitted by:
Bobby Williams
Reference:
Chattanooga Times Free Press
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