MIT student found dead

Parents Forum
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<p>MIT student found dead
Few details emerge in teen’s death; no foul play suspected
Boston Globe; By David Abel "The 18 year old son of a Nobel Prize-winning MIT professor was found dead this week in his room at the university, the second MIT undergraduate to be discovered dead in a dormitory this school year, authorities said.</p>

<p>Satto Tonegawa, an accomplished pianist and cellist who as a high school student was selected from thousands of young musicians to perform at Carnegie Hall, had entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a freshman this fall after graduating cum laude from Milton Academy.</p>

<p>Tonegawa’s body was found Tuesday, university and law enforcement officials said. They declined to provide details about the circumstances of his death.</p>

<p>“At this time, it does not appear to be suspicious or involve foul play,’’ said Cara O’Brien, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex district attorney’s office.</p>

<p>She said the cause of death is pending an autopsy with the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.</p>

<p>© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.</p>

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<p>Oh, how heartbreaking. :(</p>

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<p>OMG… this is heartbreaking.</p>

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<p>How shocking. This is terrible. </p>

<p>The second death this school year?</p>

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<p>It is tragic and devastating to the family. However, shocking is no longer an applicable term. </p>

<p>What would be shocking is to obtain the total number of deaths that can be associated to college life in the last decade, and then compare it to the casualties on 9/11/2001.</p>

<p>The real tragedy is the continuing (and cynical) lack of attention to how how fragile students really are when they leave the safety of the parental nest.</p>

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<p>To me, the only shocking part was this: “…Tonegawa had not been seen for a week, and … an odor was noticed near his room.” </p>

<p>Sad</p>

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<p>Oh my. How absolutely tragic. Never, ever get past the upset caused by hearing about the death of a young adult.</p>

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<p>It can be shocking if it doesn’t measure up to 9/11, No? To me this was shocking. Here’s an accomplished youth taking his own life two months into school, I am assuming. The contrast is shocking; the shiny achievement and deep depression which probably was lurking for sometime.</p>

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<p>Have they announced the cause of death yet? I thought it was still under investigation.</p>

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<p>No one has said yet that this was a suicide. Although it’s rare, young people can die of natural causes, too.</p>

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<p>They haven’t announced the cause of death, but the news article (including comments from his family, friends, and prep school) as much as says that everyone is treating this as a suicide.</p>

<p>Igloo, I think what xiggi meant was that if you add up all the suicides and other pressures-of-college-life deaths (alcohol poisoning, drug overdoses, alcohol-related accidents) over the past decade, it would exceed the toll from the 9/11 terrorist attacks.</p>

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<p>Hear! Hear! (post #10)</p>

<p>I really wish people wouldn’t speculate like this before the facts are known.</p>

<p>A wonderful young woman from a great family I know died suddenly while home alone a couple of years ago. The rumors of suicide and/ or drug overdose were circulating within hours. Cause of death? An aneurism (sp?). No drugs, no alcohol in system. </p>

<p>So, wait until there are facts.</p>

<p>PS .JHS, if his family says they think it’s a suicide, please post a link.I’ve read every story linked on google news. None of them say it was a suicide. The Boston Globe’s somewhat irresponsible article says that another MIT student committed suicide and then posts comments from his brother. Here is the link:<a href=“http://www.boston.com/yourtown/cambridge/articles/2011/10/27/mit_student_son_of_nobel_prize_winning_professor_dies_in_dorm/[/url]”>http://www.boston.com/yourtown/cambridge/articles/2011/10/27/mit_student_son_of_nobel_prize_winning_professor_dies_in_dorm/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>It’s probably just sloppy reporting. </p>

<p>I just don’t think it’s fair to speculate. I watched the agony of the family I know whose daughter died as people assumed their wonderful daughter “must have” committed suicide or overdosed.</p>

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<p>I read the article and the comments (on the MIT school paper site). I didn’t read it that way–or am maybe hoping it was a tragic medical complication or accidental overdose or something. It said no foul play was suspected, but didn’t say specifically what else…</p>

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<p>Agree, jonri. We had a sudden death in our nieghborhood a year or so ago. Same thing happened with the rumors, and they got pretty wild. I had a relative who died suddenly while at college. It was an undiagnosed cardiac condition. So we all get ourselves and our family memebrs checked. Really- please wait until the official cause is released- if they even choose to share it.</p>

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<p>I appreciate the underlying compassion of this statement. It is, for many young people, not the “best time of their lives” but a very difficult transition moment.</p>

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<p>Because of the internets- we find out about all kinds of bizarre stuff within minutes of it happening.
( For example the earthquakes on the east coast didn’t travel as fast as twitter)</p>

<p>In my area last week, we lost a state senator who was speaking at a conference who was only 41- which seems really odd, but people do die young from previously undiagnosed conditions.</p>

<p>I think what some people are responding to, is that if you can blame drugs or depression then you can tell yourself it won’t happen to you or your family. ( even if that isn’t necessarily true).
But if it is a weird health fluke, * then that could happen to anyone, anytime* & that is terrifying.</p>

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<p>Heard this am about a friend’s 34 yo family friend who hit his head last Friday. Didn’t think anything of it. Was on the phone Sunday, said he felt woozy, went to the bathroom to get some tylenol, had a seizure and died. </p>

<p>Know of another young man who had won an athletic scholarship and died in his sleep just before HS graduation. Undiagnosed heart condition. Parents have been advocates ever since.</p>

<p>These families are heartbroken enough without idle speculation.</p>

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<p>Sadly, any of this can happen to anybody. Your post, ED, reminded me that last year my older s was shot on halloween while walking down the street by a passenger in a car driving by. Fortunately it was a paintball shot, but it could have been much worse. He was in an auto accident a few months later, cause by someone stopping on the highway at night. He slammed on his brakes and spun out. New car was totalled. Fortunately he was fine (similar thing happened to younger s who got rear ended by vehicles on the highway due to stopped traffic. He was ok- car was not). Yes these are different situations but jsut reminds us that life is short and very precious. Older s went to a very small college and his senior year the school had 5 deaths. FIVE. I think one might have been an accidental overdose. This stuff scares me. And these are for the mostpart apart from the stresses and strains of college life. Hug your kids if you can. Condolences to the family and the MIT community.</p>

<p>** edit** agree with and condolences to CD.</p>

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<p>I think you’ve hit the nail on the head.</p>

<p>People do the same thing with people who develop life-threatening health problems. They try to find ways that it is the person’s own “fault.” Whistling in the dark.</p>

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<p>This is just sad. A freshman, just two months in, can be ignored for a week! What happened to fostering and building a sense of community and belonging? How can a freshman be not heard from for a week without action? Could it be even longer had there not been an odor? MIT needs to address this; in fact, every college needs to ask itself if this could happen on its campus.</p>