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The Dayton Daily News has spent the past eight weeks investigating the tragic death of University of Dayton freshman Larry Cook, and was the first news outlet Thursday to report the coroner’s final ruling on the cause of death.
A two-month investigation has concluded University of Dayton freshman Larry D. Cook was under severe stress and had marijuana in his system when he jumped to his death from a six-story dormitory window last month.
Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger said his office notified Cook’s family on Wednesday that their investigation confirmed their initial ruling: the 18-year-old Cincinnati native committed suicide after he jumped from the window at Stuart Residence Complex on April 2. Harshbarger said the family — who has disputed Cook committed suicide and accused UD and Dayton police of engaging in a cover-up — has not contacted the coroner’s officer.
The newspaper reviewed three reports released by the coroner’s office — the investigator’s report, the postmortem examination and toxicology laboratory results — that also included details of the final hours leading up to Cook’s death.
While the coroner’s forensic pathologist Susan Allen concluded Cook died of “multiple blunt force injuries,” test results also showed the teen had consumed marijuana within hours of his death, Harshbarger said. Cook’s system also had Vyvanse, a legally-prescribed amphetamine, to treat his attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. His mother, Jennifer Rucker, told the investigator her son “had difficulty sleeping at regular times.” The coroner said the legal drug did not play a factor in Cook’s death.
But he said their investigation also included reviewing Cook’s writings and files on his personal computer that showed “things that would add pressure and complicate his life such that he felt the need to take his own life.”
“They helped us come to the conclusion and confirm it’s a suicide,” Harshbarger said. He declined to elaborate on the substance of Cook’s writings.
Dayton police Homicide Sgt. Rick Blommel said he would not be able to comment on the evidence gathered until after detectives were able to brief UD officials and the Cook family, which he hoped to accomplish within the next few days. In the past, he has noted there was no indication of foul play.
Since Cook’s death, his family and friends have accused Dayton police and the university of a cover-up and insisted that Cook would not take his own life. His family has hired Florida attorney Christopher Chestnut, who is also representing the family of a student who died from a 2011 hazing involving members of the Florida A&M University band. Neither Chestnut nor Cook’s mother were available for comment.
Rucker has pleaded for the truth to come out about the circumstances surrounding her son’s death and has visited the campus to participate in both a rally critical of the investigation and a memorial service held for her son. She has maintained her son, nicknamed “Smiley” throughout his life, was an active member of a suicide prevention group at Sycamore High School prior to UD. Cook, who was studying mechanical engineering, was also planning to celebrate his birthday on April 24.
The coroner’s investigator’s report noted Cook texted his “best friend” at 1 a.m. on April 2 “advising he would be up all night studying.” Cook was studying with a female friend, who was with him until 3 a.m. UD video and its ID card system showed Cook swiped his card and entered Stuart complex’s St. Meyer Hall at 5:07 a.m., “the last documented time (Cook) was known to be alive,” the report said.
The report noted a screen on a sixth-floor window had been removed, had a small bend on its lower corner and was leaning on a counter. There was no sign of force used to open the window. It also said “there were no indications of a struggle (inside) or outside” the dorm, and no residents heard any disturbance or argument. Cook lived on the second floor.
Cook was found deceased outside the Stuart Complex about 7:20 a.m. by several students who called police.
The University of Dayton issued a statement Thursday that, “Our deepest prayers go out to his family and his friends. It’s just a tragic loss,” said UD spokeswoman Teri Rizvi.
A second UD freshman, Michael Fuchs, 19, of Edison, N.J., survived a fall from his sixth-story dorm room window in the Marycrest Complex on April 20. His family suspect illegal drugs were involved in the incident.
Staff Writer Lou Grieco contributed to this report
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