Jonathan Jeffrey, a 21-year-old Duke student, passed away Sunday in Chapel Hill.
Investigators have not determined a cause or manner of death for Jeffrey, who was known by his friends as Jay. Chapel Hill Police Department officers discovered Jeffrey’s body in his bedroom Sunday afternoon and a CHPD spokesman said there were no signs of foul play. Jeffrey was on a leave of absence from the University when he died.
Jeffrey’s roommate, Shanaye Barber, said Jeffrey was a selfless friend with a witty personality. Jeffrey loved to cook, she said, and would always share whatever he had prepared with his two roommates.
“He was special. I guess you don’t realize, you know, how special and important people around you are until they’re gone,” Barber said. “I just hope people can just keep him and his family in their prayers. Whatever memory they have of him, I hope it’s a good one, because he deserved it, because he was a great person.”
Barber met Jeffrey when he moved into a townhouse with her and her roommate in January. Barber said that as soon as she met Jeffrey, she enjoyed his easygoing nature and sense of humor.
“He would just want people to be happy, that’s what he wanted,” she said. “He will truly be missed. I mean, he was a great guy, an awesome person.”
Barber said her roommate called police Sunday afternoon after the two called Jeffrey’s name outside his locked room and did not receive a response. Officers then forced their way into Jeffrey’s room and found him dead, said CHPD Lt. Kevin Gunter.
Jeffrey’s body has been sent to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Chapel Hill to attempt to determine how he died. Gunter said there was nothing suspicious at the scene other than the untimeliness of the death and “no foul play indicated at all.”
Student Affairs staff at Duke informed Jeffrey’s friends of his death Monday, Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek said. She said counseling is available for students coping with the loss.
“We were, in Student Affairs and Trinity College, very saddened by Jay’s death because many of us knew him and got to work with him very closely,” Wasiolek said.
She said she did not know Jeffrey personally, but that Student Affairs staff who worked with him described him as “exceedingly charismatic” and very likeable.
Jeffrey entered the University in Fall 2007 and planned to double major in psychology and philosophy, according to his personal Web site.
He lived in the Wellness Community in Brown Dormitory during Fall 2008 and then in Crowell Quadrangle on West Campus, Wasiolek said.
“He had a big heart and served as the big brother for many of the Brown residents,” Philip Duhart, the residence coordinator responsible for Brown Dormitory, wrote in an e-mail. “He was a contributing member of the Brown community and he will be missed.”
Jeffrey took two leaves of absence from the University and was on leave at the time of his death, Wasiolek said. She declined to say why Jeffrey went on leave.
Jeffrey graduated from East Chapel Hill High School in Chapel Hill and previously attended Orono Senior High School in Long Lake, Minn. near Minneapolis. He graduated high school near the top of his class, according to his personal Web site.
Jeffrey’s site served as a homepage for his multimedia production business, Shmee Productions. The business offered graphic design, video editing and other services.
The site also includes photos from Jeffrey’s time at Duke. In the pictures, Jeffrey can be seen with friends riding a Duke bus and attending a home football game with his upper body and face covered in blue paint.
Barber, a 2009 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that while living in Chapel Hill, Jeffrey became a devout UNC fan.
“Every time we put on a Carolina game, he cheered,” she said. “We lost a lot of games, but he still cheered. I respect him for that.”
Barber said she and Jeffrey often talked late at night, after she returned from work. The night before Jeffrey died, they had a short conversation as they normally did.
“I said good night Jay, and he said good night, and that was it,” she said.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Jonathan Jeffrey lived in the Wellness Community on West Campus. Jeffrey lived in Crowell Quadrangle but was not a member of the Wellness Community.
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