3 arrested after NAU student dies at fraternity ‘rush’ event

An 18-year-old Northern Arizona University student died after an off-campus “rush” event, and three members of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity were arrested on suspicion of hazing, according to Flagstaff police.

Authorities did not release the name of the student who died.

The death stunned the university, which has about 20,000 students on its Flagstaff campus. “This is a devastating loss, and our hearts are with his family, friends and all members of our community who are grieving,” the university said in an unsigned statement.

Police were called at 8:44 a.m. Jan. 31 to a house on South Pinegrove Road, where the 18-year-old was found unresponsive. Police and later paramedics tried lifesaving efforts, but he was pronounced dead at the house, Flagstaff police spokesperson Sgt. Jerry Rintala said.

Detectives interviewed witnesses at the residence and executed search warrants, Rintala said.

The dead student had attended a gathering at the residence the previous evening, identified as a “rush” event for the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, Rintala said. Alcohol was consumed by several people, including pledge candidates, who included the deceased student, Rintala said.

Three NAU students and members of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity were arrested and booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility on suspicion of the criminal charge of hazing, Rintala said.

They were identified as Carter Eslick, 20, the fraternity’s new member educator; Ryan Creech, 20, fraternity vice president; and Riley Cass, 20, fraternity treasurer. All were executive board members of the fraternity, Rintala said.

The university, in its statement Jan. 31, announced it had placed an interim suspension on the Delta Tau Delta chapter as school officials conducted an investigation of student conduct separate from the criminal investigation.

Counseling and support resources were available to faculty and staff, the university said.

“We appreciate the diligence of the Flagstaff Police Department as they work to establish the facts and pursue accountability, and NAU stands ready to support the investigation as it unfolds,” the university statement said. “We want to be clear: The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priorities. Violence, hazing or any other behavior that endangers others has no place at NAU.”

The national fraternity overseeing the local chapter issued a statement on Feb. 1.

Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity CEO Jack Kreman said in a prepared statement that the organization was “aware and deeply saddened” by the student’s death and confirmed that the Theta Omega chapter at Northern Arizona University has been placed on interim suspension.

“Our position on hazing is clear: It is the antithesis of brotherhood and a violation of the values of Delta Tau Delta,” Kreman said.

He added that the chapter is prohibited from holding activities while both a law enforcement investigation and an internal fraternity review are ongoing, and that members have been encouraged to cooperate with authorities.

The fraternity said it would not provide additional details about the arrests or the student who died.

The president of NAU Interfraternity Council, Oliver Harrison, said that it had yet to release a statement about what had happened.

Rintala said detectives were continuing to follow up on leads, to review evidence, and to coordinate with the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause and manner of death.

“Out of respect for the family of the decedent and pending investigative findings, no additional details will be released at this time,” he said.

Anyone with information was asked to call the Flagstaff Police Department at 928-774-1414 or Silent Witness at 928-774-6111.

What do we know about Delta Tau Delta?

The off-campus event attended by the student who died was connected to the Theta Omega chapter of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity at Northern Arizona University, according to Flagstaff police and the fraternity administration.

The Theta Omega chapter of Delta Tau Delta at Northern Arizona University was reinstalled in 2022 after being inactive for several years, according to the national fraternity’s website.

The chapter originally operated at NAU from 2000 to 2016 before closing because of low membership, then returned following a multi-year effort that began in 2018 and culminated with the initiation of 23 members in March 2022, fraternity records show.

Delta Tau Delta chapters at other universities have faced discipline in recent years.

In 2025, New Orleans-based Tulane University found its Delta Tau Delta chapter responsible for hazing following a months-long investigation and suspended the fraternity for the fall semester, according to student newspaper reporting and university statements.

In 2021, Ohio University suspended its Beta chapter of Delta Tau Delta for four years after an internal investigation found the group responsible for multiple student conduct violations, including hazing involving coerced alcohol consumption, according to the university.

Have there been previous issues with fraternities before at NAU?

Northern Arizona University has previously suspended other fraternity chapters for conduct violations, according to records posted on the university’s website.

As of mid-2024, the NAU chapters of Delta Chi and Sigma Pi were suspended for multiple years, with their national organizations also revoking the chapters’ charters, according to the university website.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NAU student dead, 3 Delta Tau Delta fraternity officers arrested