Members of the Duke community did not receive a DukeAlert Sunday after a dead body was found near Penn Pavilion.
DukeAlert is a free service that sends text messages “to alert Duke community members of imminent danger” that would require students and employees to take action, such as tornados or threats to campus.
Law enforcement officers “quickly determined there was no risk to the Duke community” when the dead body was found, wrote Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, in an email to The Chronicle Tuesday morning. Duke elected to publish an update on Duke Today in lieu of sending a DukeAlert.
The person found is said to be male and is not believed to be a Duke student. The Duke University Police Department is currently investigating, but foul play is not suspected, per the press release.
Duke has not released further information regarding the incident. The Durham police blotter does not show any crimes related to the incident or in the area reported on Sunday. Additionally, the weekly DUPD summary from Nov. 1 to 7 did not mention an event at Penn Pavilion, although it may be because no foul play is suspected.
The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill sent out an AlertCarolina when a deceased person was found on UNC's campus in September. The alert noted that there was "no ongoing threat" at the time.
Mental health resources
Mental health resources are available below for those who may need them at this time:
Mental health and wellness resources for the 2021-22 year
A list of mental health resources for people of color at Duke and in Durham
A list of local mental health resources for members of the LGBTQ+ community
Nadia Bey contributed reporting.
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Leah Boyd is a Pratt senior and a social chair of The Chronicle's 118th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 117.