Woman Found Dead at University of Washington Frat House

University of Washington fraternity officials confirmed Thursday that a woman was found dead at a fraternity house Wednesday evening. The body of the unidentified 20-year-old was discovered around 4:30 p.m. on an outside stairwell at the Phi Delta Theta house as fraternity members were preparing for a recruitment barbecue.

Seattle police believe the woman committed suicide. The King County Medical Examiner’s office will perform an autopsy on Thursday to to determine the cause of death.

Joseph Newland, the resident adviser of the frat house, said he believes “the fraternity has no association with the circumstances of her death.”

"It’s a young person (found) on a beautiful Seattle afternoon … it’s very upsetting for our members to discover this. Anytime there is a tragedy, there are a lot of emotions. We are praying for this young woman’s family," he said, adding that the woman may have rented a parking space from the fraternity in the past.

"Seattle PD has not released the name of the person, and the men who saw her did not identify her to police. This young woman's family has to be notified before her identity can be released publicly, from what I understand," Newland says. "The feeling is that it may be someone that rented a parking spot from us in the past. I cannot confirm the identity of the body, that is the job of Seattle PD.”

No other details were available.

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