60° Fort Worth
All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Emily Rose Benefield (left) and McKeever Wright (right) come together for a photo at an As You Are Worship Night.
Fostering a Christian community in a secular world
By Kiley Beykirch, Staff Writer
Published Apr 19, 2024
A club is bringing Christian women together at TCU and colleges around the country.

    Preliminary autopsy rules out suicide, trauma in alum’s death

    Preliminary autopsy rules out suicide, trauma in alums death

    TCU alumnus Clay York had no physical signs of trauma, nor had any drugs or alcohol in his system when he died, according to a Facebook post written by his father, Rik York. There was also no sign that York’s death was a suicide. 

    Rik York wrote that he received the information after speaking with the New York City medical examiner after the preliminary autopsy. 

    York died at 11:30 p.m. Dec. 22, according to New York City medical examiner records. 

    A declaration of an official cause of death was pending more tests as part of an advanced autopsy, Rik York wrote. 

    Students, alumni and faculty took to social media outlets Dec. 24 to remember York.

    Chancellor Victor Boschini wrote in an email that he was “heartbroken” to hear about Mr. York’s death and that people had been texting him about it.

    “[This] just shows how many of us he touched,” he wrote.

    York, Class of 2013, was a double major in ballet and modern dance, a resident assistant and Mr. TCU his senior year. He also held a minor in journalism and worked for TCU 360 in the past.

    A native of Cleveland, Ohio, York had a fellowship with the Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane Dance Company in New York. 

    Students and alumni turned to York’s Facebook page to remember him as a good friend and someone they could rely on. Rik York posted a message via Facebook Dec. 24 about his son, describing him as an “authentic person.”

    “He personified love with a warm easy smile and robust non negotiated hugs. He was groomed for greatness,” he wrote.

    “Clay was an authentic person that didn’t shy away from his originality no matter how deeply criticized or misunderstood. He is loved by many, myself, his mother and sister among the first and all of you from where ever he entered your life and you accepted him in yours.”

    Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 9:54 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 30.