Eskew apparently killed himself with his shotgun, police officials said. It's just a real tragedy. On Oct. 15, the night before his murder, Severson told police officials that he saw Eskew with cocaine in his room. While police and residence staff members had suspected Eskew of drug use for some time, Severson's report was the first evidence strong enough to warrant action, said Joseph L. Bennet, vice president for Purdue University relations. A fire at Iowa State University burned the Theta Chi fraternity house to the ground earlier this month.
Authorities now believe a grease fire in the kitchen area started the blaze.
Ames Fire Department Chief Mike Childs recalls the Oct. 5 incident as a difficult fight. Upon arriving, we were fairly certain that all the students had already evacuated. While we started to put out the fire, we sent a search and rescue team inside. The fire spread rapidly, helped along by the material structure of the 1920s-era building. Around this same time, the roof caught on fire and we had to retreat to the exterior of the house.