As reported in the L.A. Times, 19 year old CSU Northridge student Armando Villa died from exposure and dehydration after being found barefoot and alone in the harsh, Angeles National Forest.
The County Sheriff is now investigating (CSUN student's death appears tied to fraternity pledge - LA Times). According to Sheriff's Lieutenant John Corina:
Details about the hiking trip (e.g., how many days it was to last and how many participants were involved) were not immediately known."We're trying to determine is this part of an initiation or one of those rituals you do to get into a fraternity ... it kind of looks that way, we're trying to confirm that."
The Times reported that "detectives are struggling to get some participants to open up about what happened." Lt. Corina noted:
Activities of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity have been suspended by the CSU Northridge administration, pending an inquiry.""I think people are afraid of getting in trouble so getting the information has been slow."
The national Pi Kappa Phi organization is also investigating to determine if its policies have been violated.
