Laura Treanor Found Dead

Sophomore Laura Treanor, 19, was found dead in her room in Ivory Tower Friday morning, according to University and police officials.

University officials say Laura Treanor, a junior from Yorktown Heights, N.Y., was found dead Friday. The GW Hatchet newspaper reports the 19-year-old was an editor for the student-run publication and a member of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority.

Treanor, a native of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., was born in 1989 and living in a quad in the 23rd Street residence hall. A roommate reported the death to authorities after finding her at 8:30 a.m., about an hour before an Alert DC message was sent out. Treanor was declared dead by a Medical Examiner representative at about 10 a.m.

Roommates found Treanor about 8:30 a.m. in her room at the Ivory Tower residence hall and called 911.

A Metropolitan Police Department statement Friday afternoon said there was no apparent trauma to the body. University spokeswoman Tracy Schario said at 6 p.m. that it “appears Laura died of natural causes,” which she said effectively rules out homicide pending a complete autopsy.

A University statement released earlier in the day at 1:15 p.m. explained that “Because the cause of death has not yet been determined, MPD has technically classified this as a ’suspicious death.’”

A spokesman for MPD, Sgt. Kenny Bryson, said that officers responded to a report of an unconscious person Friday morning, and later requested a squad that investigates natural death. Bryson added that the death is likely not a homicide or suicide.

Treanor, who was Catholic, was a lector at The Newman Center last semester. The center is holding a memorial mass on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in The Newman Center chapel on 22nd and F streets.

In an interview, University President Steven Knapp said the University has been speaking with the family and does not know a cause of death.

“It just tells you once again how important it is for us to keep an eye out for each other and stick together as a community,Tragic things will always happen but we try to do everything we can to prevent them and to understand what people in the community are experiencing.” Knapp said.

Treanor is the first current student to die on campus in about four years.

The university says Treanor's room will be closed during the investigation. The campus remains open and operating on a normal schedule.