UC Irvine is investigating the death of Amir Eftekhar, an 18-year-old sophomore majoring in math, after his body was found on campus Sunday afternoon. The Orange County Coroner said Eftekhar was found dead around 2 p.m.
The death immediately reached student residents at Mesa Court, who received an email Sunday announcing that a dorm resident had died. For many on campus, that is the detail that turned a single emergency response into a moment of fear and uncertainty, especially as word spread quickly across social media.
Tom Vasich, a UC Irvine spokesperson, said there are no indications of suspicious activity related to Eftekhar’s passing. He also said information circulating online that the death was heat-related was incorrect, pushing back on a rumor that tied the case to a recent heat wave that brought record temperatures.
Vasich said the university is deeply saddened by the death of a member of its student community. But the central fact remains unresolved: officials have not disclosed how Eftekhar died, and they have not said anything to suggest foul play. That leaves the coroner’s findings and the campus investigation as the next steps in a case that has already landed hard in the student housing community.
