LOCAL

UPDATE: Locals say Oregon student's death at Lake Shasta is cautionary tale

shasta Lake

While the cause hasn't been determined, a University of Oregon student's death at Lake Shasta over the weekend should be a reminder for people who visit in the future to take their safety there seriously, Shasta Caverns General Manager Matt Doyle said.

Dylan Baker Pietrs, a 21-year-old business administration major and member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, was found dead about 9 a.m. Saturday in his tent at the Gooseneck Campground. Witnesses told boating safety officials he had been drinking before going to his tent Friday evening, but officials said it's unclear whether alcohol played a role in the death.

More:Oregon student found dead at Lake Shasta

An autopsy has been scheduled, and in the meantime, officials have at least determined there were no signs of foul play or any other suspicious circumstances. 

In its statement identifying Pietrs as the victim, the University of Oregon's division of student life initially linked his death to students' "history of demonstrating poor life choices during visits to Lake Shasta."

University of Oregon and other colleges have long been criticized for holding annual parties at the lake and, in 2016, leaving behind huge amounts of trash and debris.

R. Kevin Marbury, the vice president for student life at the university, said the statement "should have reflected that our focus was and remains on assisting Dylan's family and friends as they deal with this news" after the school came under fire for the original message's tone.

"We have heard from a number of you and greatly appreciate your perspective that the (initial) statement came across as insensitive," Marbury wrote. "As the leader of the Division of Student Life, I offer my apology ... While I didn't know Dylan personally, he was a member of the Duck family and right now we should be focused on responding on the loss of a member of our family."

But the original statement was "spot on," Doyle said. 

"It does sound insensitive, but it's, once again, that reminder that, 'Hey, you have to be careful,'" Doyle said. "It's very easy for that one person to disappear and kind of nobody pays attention to them." 

Other students found Pietrs in a sleeping bag inside a small tent near the shore of the upper Sacramento arm of the lake, and he was pronounced dead by California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection personnel after CPR attempts, Shasta County sheriff's deputies have said.

The Shasta County Sheriff's Office said Pietrs was from Denver. 

Doyle said visitors to the lake need to remember to have "respect for the environment," which includes bears, extreme heat, rattlesnakes and, of course, a huge body of water. 

"Unfortunately, we’re just aware that when the college students come up here, they’re just having so much fun that they forget," Doyle said. "They’re in a natural environment, and it’s very unforgiving."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Forest Service — which has law enforcement officers in the land around the lake — said it's not increasing its Memorial Day presence there in response to Pietrs' death. 

"It’s unfortunate, but it didn’t spur any special change on our behalf because we had already planned for a busy weekend and we will be busy next weekend," said public affairs officer Carol Underhill, noting that the agency typically already beefs up response for busy holiday weekends. 

Doyle said he recommends people "just be vigilant" while at the lake. 

"If you see something crazy, don’t be afraid to either call in or let the marinas know what’s going on," he said, noting workers are there 24 hours a day. "Some of the managers will go out in the middle of the night."

Pietrs isn't the first Oregon college student to die at the lake. 

Oregon State University student Sean Matsuda died in 2001 after slipping and falling off a houseboat, according to media reports, while fellow Oregon State student Gina Zalunardo hanged herself in the trees near Slaughterhouse Island in 2005, coroner's officials have said. That same year, University of Oregon student Joel Meyer drowned on the lake, officials have said.