Another pointless hazing death, in today's issue of "Greek life is stupid."

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A Loudoun County family is mourning the loss of Adam Oakes, a VCU student who died at an off-campus residence on Saturday.

Adam’s dad and cousin say they’re heartbroken over losing who they call their teddy bear, who was full of love and wanted to show that to everyone he met.

“He wasn’t just a good kid or good person to us, he was to everybody,” said his cousin Courtney White.

The family believes hazing is to blame for his death - and they just want answers.

Family members say that after a night of heavy drinking, Oakes passed out at the Delta Chi fraternity house and was discovered there the next morning.

“He had already tried to get into other fraternities and had been turned down, but he saw the comradery. He’d see the brotherhood and just loved the actual acceptance,” said Adam’s father, Eric Oakes.

Adam was offered a bid to join Delta Chi. His family says he had to go to a party on Friday night to start the initiation process.

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By Hannah Eason, Jasmine Turner, and Desiree Montilla | February 28, 2021 at 3:07 PM EST - Updated March 1 at 8:48 PM
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A Loudoun County family is mourning the loss of Adam Oakes, a VCU student who died at an off-campus residence on Saturday.

Adam’s dad and cousin say they’re heartbroken over losing who they call their teddy bear, who was full of love and wanted to show that to everyone he met.

“He wasn’t just a good kid or good person to us, he was to everybody,” said his cousin Courtney White.

The family believes hazing is to blame for his death - and they just want answers.

Family members say that after a night of heavy drinking, Oakes passed out at the Delta Chi fraternity house and was discovered there the next morning.

“He had already tried to get into other fraternities and had been turned down, but he saw the comradery. He’d see the brotherhood and just loved the actual acceptance,” said Adam’s father, Eric Oakes.

Adam was offered a bid to join Delta Chi. His family says he had to go to a party on Friday night to start the initiation process.

“At 9 p.m., he texts his dad and just said, ‘I’m going in. Love you.’ and he went in,” said White.

That was the last time they heard from Adam, who was found dead on Saturday morning in the off-campus house.

His family says two pledges told them he was forced to drink a handle of Jack Daniels whiskey that night. His family also heard he was blindfolded and ran into a tree.

“They told us he passed out on the couch, on his side by about 11,” said White. “They checked on him at 12, he was breathing and he was on his side. By the next morning, when they checked on him at 9, he was face down and dead.”

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The reports of hazing have not been confirmed by police or VCU, however, Delta Chi fraternity’s national office issued a cease-and-desist order to the VCU chapter on Saturday. The university took similar action on Sunday and is continuing its own investigation.

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