Looking for answers in Bethany student’s death
By WARREN SCOTT, staff writer
POSTED: May 15, 2008
BETHANY — An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of a Bethany College student who was found dead in his dorm room on Wednesday.
Brooke County Sheriff Rich Ferguson said no foul play is suspected in the death of Channing Benson, 19, a freshman from Spencer, W.Va., who had played on the college’s Bison football team.
He said an autopsy by the state medical examiner’s office isn’t uncommon in cases of unattended deaths.
Ferguson said Benson was diabetic, and the sheriff’s department hasn’t ruled out the possibility that Benson had failed to take medication required for his condition.
The sheriff said Benson’s father had phoned Bethany’s campus security department when he hadn’t heard from his son in a few days, and security personnel with the college entered Benson’s room to find him on his bed and a fan on.
Ferguson said it appears that Benson had met with friends for dinner on Tuesday night and an e-mail had been sent from his computer early Wednesday morning.
Scott Miller, president of Bethany College, said students and staff are saddened by Benson’s death, and counselors would be available to assist anyone in coping with the loss.
News of Benson’s death comes as the campus is nearing the end of its spring semester.
(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)
