Police investigate student death at CCU housing complex

CONWAY, SC (WMBF) – Coastal Carolina University campus police and state officials are investigating the death of a student at the University Place student housing complex, according to a spokeswoman for the school.

There is no danger to the campus, a tweet from the school stated. CCU alerted students and faculty to the death via text message at about 1:40 p.m. Wednesday.

University officials and the county coroner confirmed the student found dead is Michael James Rath of Rye, New York. He was a freshmen Management student.

Mona Prufer, with CCU public relations, confirmed that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the student's death. She is not sure if the student died inside or outside the housing unit, or the circumstances of the student's death.

Horry County Coroner Robert Edge said the student was found by his friends in a sleeping position on a sofa. Edge said the autopsy was completed but more tests must be done to determine the exact cause of death. The Horry County Coroner's Office is confident "no harm was done to him."

University Place is located about half a mile from the main CCU campus and houses nearly 2,000 students in apartment-style buildings, according to the school's website.

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