Investigation launched at Illinois college due to death threats aimed at TPUSA leaders

Investigation Launched Into Death Threats at Olivet Nazarene University

Officials at Olivet Nazarene University are looking into death threats made against leaders of the Turning Point USA chapter on campus in Illinois.

Chapter President Jacob York had to leave the campus for her safety following these threats. She shared with Fox News Digital that she received “academic accommodations” to continue her studies online for the remainder of the semester.

“The first death threat I got was anonymous, sent through Instagram,” York explained. “I was told someone would come in the middle of the night and slit my throat.” This incident occurred last Thursday, and she wasn’t the only student affected; Vice President Mara Hudson, who manages the chapter’s Instagram account, also left the campus due to safety concerns.

In response to a worried parent, university president Greg Chenoweth confirmed that the students faced “anonymous threats of physical harm via social media against specific individuals, not the group or all students.” Chenoweth, who empathizes as a parent himself, emphasized the gravity of the situation and the fear it instills. In an email to parents last Friday, he mentioned he had been addressing the matter himself for several hours.

Law enforcement is involved as they work to trace the identity of the individual behind the threats. Chenoweth noted that this effort could take several days, given that detectives classified it as an “emergency” situation.

Earlier in the week, the university issued a statement indicating that the Department of Public Safety and Bourbonnais Police are investigating the threats aimed at particular members of the campus community. “Such behavior is unacceptable in our society, notably at Olivet, and will be addressed accordingly,” the statement read.

The threats originated from anonymous social media accounts and targeted specific students, with no broader threat to the campus community reported during this event. The university reassured that it would continue collaborating with the Bourbonnais Police Department to maintain a safe environment on campus and pursue any leads related to the incident.

University officials have not promptly responded to further inquiries from Fox News Digital regarding the death threats.

Interestingly, the Turning Point USA chapter is not officially recognized by the university and conducts its events off campus. York and Hudson hold leadership positions, although attempts to have the group acknowledged by the university have not yet materialized. A spokesperson for the university confirmed that, while the group is organized, it has not completed the process required to become an official campus organization.