AUSTIN — The parents of late University of Austin at Texas student Sawyer Updike have filed a lawsuit against a Sigma Chi fraternity for hazing they say led to their son’s death.
Sheryl Roberts-Updike and Lee Updike filed the wrongful death suit against the Sigma Chi fraternity’s Alpha Nu chapter on Nov. 20, alleging their son was subjected to “horrific hazing” that led to a “psychological crisis that ended in suicide,” People reports.
The suit says Updike became involved in a “months-long hazing process” when he joined the fraternity in the fall of 2023. During that time, Updike was allegedly whipped and beaten, speared with a fishhook, burnt with lit cigarettes, had his hip pierced with a staple gun, and forced to snort cocaine. Some of the incidents were recorded, the filing claims. Fraternity members also allegedly threatened to sexually assault Updike’s girlfriend if he did not do what they said.
“The fraternity brothers forcefully dominated over pledges and supplied them with and directed, encouraged, and/or forced them to consume illegal controlled substances,” the lawsuit said.
RELATED: Hazing Prevention on College Campuses: Relationships Are Key to Reporting Incidents
Several weeks into the second semester of his freshman year, on or around Jan. 16, 2024, the lawsuit says that while Updike’s mental state was already in jeopardy and deteriorating, he was given cocaine and psilocybin mushrooms at the fraternity house. A short time later, while allegedly still feeling the effects of the drugs, Updike drove to a nearby convenience store parking lot “where he would tragically die by suicide.”
The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages in excess of $1,000,000 for physical and mental injuries. Defendants named in the suit also include Sigma Chi International, Alpha Nu House Corporation, which owns the fraternity house, and five members of the fraternity, including the then-chapter president of Alpha Nu.
“Sawyer’s death will not be in vain. Hazing is illegal for a reason, and its consequences are not hypothetical — they are tragic, permanent, and shattering,” Roberts-Updike wrote in a news release. “I want every parent of a college-bound child to understand the risks that can be hidden behind Greek letters and long-standing traditions. If speaking out saves even one family from this kind of heartbreak, then Sawyer’s light will continue to shine in this world.”
UT Austin Sigma Chi Fraternity Was on Probation
The alleged hazing of Updike happened while the Alpha Nu chapter, known as Sigma Chi at the time, was already on probation for hazing pledges the previous year, Fox 7 reports. The university found the chapter guilty of hazing and sanctioned it to deferred suspension, according to a university website.
UT Austin delivered a cease-and-desist notice to the fraternity after it received “new information” about hazing, according to the university.
RELATED: HazingInfo.org Releases Nationwide College Campus Hazing Database
“UT Austin is committed to providing a safe educational environment for everyone and does not tolerate hazing by any group or individual affiliated with the University,” a university spokesperson wrote in an email. “All such investigations receive the utmost attention and thorough investigation.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health and may need support, contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
