Pubdate: Mon, 10 Jan 2005
Source: Central Florida Future (Orlando, FL Edu)
Copyright: 2005 Central Florida Future
Contact: http://www.ucffuture.com/main.cfm?include=submit
Website: http://www.ucffuture.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3300
Author: Heidi A. De Vries

STUDENT DEATH RAISES QUESTIONS

Family, Friends Think Fraternity Was Involved

The apparent suicide of a UCF fraternity pledge in November has
prompted police to open two investigations surrounding his death.

John Yancy, 19, was found dead Nov. 19 in his Oviedo home, with a
handgun at his side, by a roommate who called police. The Seminole
County Sheriff's Office is still continuing its review of the
circumstances surrounding Yancy's death, Sgt. Bob Martin said. "We're
waiting for the medical examiner's report," he said. "It can take
months to complete all the tests."

At the same time, the sheriff's office also is trying to run down
leads stemming from a break-in at Yancy's home, which was strewn with
drug paraphernalia, soon after the departure of police who arrived to
investigate the death. Police have identified one suspect in the
break-in, also a UCF student, who is "nowhere to be found," sheriff's
investigator Mark Fore said.

The twin investigations have been encouraged and are being watched
closely by Yancy's family and friends, who suspect there is a larger
story to be told in a tale that they say involves drug use and Yancy's
involvement with Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

"He was afraid," said a close friend of Yancy's family and the mother
of one of his friends, who asked that she not be identified. "He
called his family and friends the night before [his death]."

She said Yancy had never done drugs before entering college. Based
upon incidents described by Yancy prior to his death, she blamed Pi
Kappa Alpha for distributing drugs to its members. However, it wasn't
until after his death that she became suspicious of the circumstances
surrounding the last few months of Yancy's life.

"In the beginning, when I got the phone call about John, I was like
'Oh my God,'" she said. "No one here was in denial. We know that kids
sometimes do things. But once the break-in happened, and once things
just started being discovered, we knew it wasn't what it seemed."

On Nov. 14, five days before his death, Yancy was arrested for
possession of cocaine and Xanax. According to the Orange County
Sheriff's Office report, Yancy said the drugs were for his own use. He
referred to the Xanax as a "xanny bar." In Yancy's wallet after his
death, investigators found a Post-It note that read, "8 - Bars $30,"
suggesting a sale or purchase.

On the day Yancy died, police found items in his bedroom that included
several prescription medications, $230 in cash, five cell phones, many
bags containing a white powder and residue, a measuring scale and
several bongs, marijuana plants and syringes. They also found a safe
and a combination to that safe. The combination was addressed to a UCF
student. Inside the safe were more bags containing a white, powdery
substance.

Seven Seminole County Sheriff's agents spent about eight hours in
Yancy's house, according to their report. The break-in occurred within
30 minutes of their departure. Police would not say what, if anything,
was taken.

Last week, investigator Fore blamed distractions for slowing the
investigation and hampering the search for the lone suspect so far.
"We've just been so busy, I've been planning on calling UCF to see if
they know where he is," he said.

Yancy's family and friends want the investigation to take a hard look
at the actions of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity members.

"He had told us about them beating him up," the family friend said.
"At the funeral, members of Pi Kappa Alpha told very disgusting stories."

One of the restrained stories involved Yancy being high one night, and
members of the fraternity shaving his sideburns off. A more disturbing
story involved fraternity members tying up pledges and women visitors,
and forcing them to take drugs until they passed out, she said.

Greg Mason, UCF's Director of Greek Affairs, said in response, "A lot
of the stuff is rumors and we don't have any firsthand knowledge of
drugs being part of [Yancy's] death."

Telephone calls placed by the Future to the president of the campus
fraternity chapter were not returned. Attempts by the newspaper to
contact and interview officials of the fraternity's national office in
Tennessee also were unsuccessful.

Still, another friend of Yancy's, Brett Hartwell, wrote a letter to
the newspaper that said, "I will always remember the distasteful Pikes
who showed up [at the funeral] ... may you live with your actions
forever." In the same letter, Hartwell confirmed that Yancy told him
members of Pi Kappa Alpha had threatened him.

"There are people's lives threatened and I am in fear for many lives,"
Suzanne Yancy Sardinha, Yancy's mother, wrote in another e-mail in
response to questions from the Future. "I will get justice and all
parties responsible for John's death and any whitewashing of it will
be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

The family friend said Yancy's mother had tried to talk to UCF
President John Hitt and other members of the administration about her
concerns with the fraternity, but that she didn't get the answers she
was looking for. "They just kind of blew her off. The president didn't
even acknowledge [John's death]," she said.

In a phone interview, Yancy's father, Fred Sardinha, said, "We would
love to tell you all we know, but we have been asked to wait."
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