Lafayette College public safety officers were responding to a medical emergency call for a person who had been drinking when they found freshman McCrae Williams unconscious outside a dorm Sunday afternoon, officials revealed Friday.
Williams, 19, died the next day at a nearby hospital from what the Lehigh County coroner deemed "blunt force head trauma." A police investigation is underway to determine what exactly caused the young man's death.
"Campus public safety officers who found freshman McCrae Williams unconscious outside his dormitory Sunday afternoon were responding to a medical call for a student whom the caller said had been drinking," Lafayette spokesman Roger Clow said.
Much remains unknown about the 24 hours that preceded those officers arriving to find Williams unconscious at Ruef Hall North dormitory. But Easton police have acknowledged that they believe "a chain of events" led to his death.
One of the few details that is now known is that the lacrosse player had attended a party off-campus the night before he was found unconscious at Ruef Hall North on campus, according to sources.
He apparently made it back to his room, the sources said, adding that a woman accompanied him from the party Saturday night to his dorm.
He died Monday at Lehigh Valley Hospital, officials said.
Local police have begun talking with Lafayette students about the hours leading up to a call for medical help by fellow students Sunday, sources said.
In an initial report, the Lehigh County coroner did not release a manner of death, saying that may come after toxicology test results are finalized.
Authorities told NBC10 that more details from the ongoing investigation could be released next week.
Williams was set to play lacrosse at the Patriot League school.
Authorities in Easton, Pennsylvania, say Williams, who came from Weston, Massachusetts, died with his parents at his side at Lehigh Valley Hospital around 5 p.m. Monday.
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Lafayette public safety officers responded to a medical emergency outside Ruef Hall North — a dorm where about 150 first-year students live — around 4:20 p.m. Sunday, Easton police said. "Investigators believe the chain of events leading to the medical emergency call started on Saturday in the late afternoon into the evening hours," police said in a news release.
Dr. Catherine Hall, the head of school at Noble and Greenough School, where Williams played lacrosse in high school, announced that he died after falling and suffering a head injury.
"McCrae fell over the weekend and suffered a major head injury," she wrote in a letter sent to parents. "Our hearts ache for McCrae's parents, Dianne and Chris, and his brother, Chase, as they face this unfathomable loss."
Easton Police, Lafayette College Public Safety, the Northampton County District Attorney's Office and the Lehigh County Coroner's Office are investigating Williams's death.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to McCrae’s family and friends," Lafayette President Alison Byerly said in a letter sent to the college community. "We will share information about memorial plans when it becomes available."
A vigil for Williams was held Tuesday night and counselors are available to students, the university said.
