Around 12:30 a.m this morning, UMBC Police received a call informing them that a person was unresponsive within Potomac Hall.
According to UMBC Deputy Chief of Police Paul Dillon, they “determined the student was deceased, secured the scene, and called the Baltimore County Homicide Unit.”
According to the Baltimore Sun, “Police identified the student as Eric Thomas Askins, 17, of Hollywood in St. Mary’s County.”
A statement released on the Baltimore County Government’s website said that “the Homicide Unit investigates sudden deaths where the cause is not apparent.” They will investigate the case until both manner and cause are conclusively determined.
The statement also clarified that “there were no signs of foul play” in this death. Dillon concurred with that assertion, and said, “Nothing at the scene led us to believe anything malicious happened.”
Mark Sparks, chief of police, sent an email to students across campus at 8:52 a.m. He said, “The State Medical Examiner will conduct an investigation to determine the cause of death. More information will be passed along as it becomes available.”
This death comes on the heels of the murder of fifth-year student Jackson Bleier last weekend.
