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Miami student found unconscious Saturday dies

OPD is investigating, says drugs, alcohol may be involved

By James Steinbauer and Reis Thebault

The Oxford Police Department (OPD) is investigating the death of Timothy Fresch, a 22-year-old Miami University student from Santa Barbara, Calif.

Fresch died Wednesday night, four days after he was found unconscious and in respiratory distress in his off-campus house. Fresch is thought to have choked on his vomit, said OPD's Sergeant Jon Varley.

According to a report filed by OPD, at approximately 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, Fresch's roommates found him alone at 117 South Main Street, the house known as "Tuna."

One of Fresch's roommates called 911 after finding him unconscious in bed.

"I've got a friend who's not waking up," he told the dispatcher. "I'm not feeling a pulse right now. I think we need an ambulance over here as soon as possible."

According to a recording of the 911 call, the dispatcher instructed the caller to perform CPR on Fresch until paramedics arrived on the scene.

Fresch was taken to McCullough Hyde Memorial Hospital for further treatment and was later transferred to Bethesda North Hospital in Cincinnati.

Fresch remained brain-dead until he died four days later, Varley said.

Varley said that OPD is still waiting for the coroner's report, but drugs and alcohol have not been eliminated as a potential cause of Fresch's respiratory distress.

Oxford, like many rural and predominantly white cities, has seen an increase in drug use, especially hard drugs such as heroin and, this year, powder cocaine, Varley said.

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"We don't know for sure what he ingested, but we've seen [cocaine] this year," Varley said. We haven't really seen it in several years, and now to see it back again … powdered cocaine especially … that's odd for us."

In a statement to the Miami community on the myMiami homepage yesterday afternoon, Dean of Students Mike Curme extended condolences to Fresch's family and friends and reminded students who need support of the resources available to them. So far, the student body has not been formally notified by email.

"Tim's passing represents a loss to our entire Miami University community," Curme wrote.

Fresch was a junior at Miami and studied political science. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity (however, fraternity officials confirmed that Fresch's house, "Tuna," is not a chapter "annex house").

"Tim was a member who was incredibly beloved and had a huge heart. He really had a natural ability to light up any room he walked into, always," Paul Fortin, acting president for SAE, said. "He will be missed, we are all struggling with this loss at the moment."

Additional reporting by Mary Schrott.

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