MSU student found dead on campus was from Madison, university says

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WLBT) - The Mississippi State student found dead on campus on Sunday has now been identified.

According to the university, the student was Maxwell Curtis Pennebaker, 19, who was a sophomore building construction science major from Madison.

He was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.

No foul play is suspected at this time.

Mississippi State University Police Chief Kenneth Rogers received a report at 1:10 p.m. on Sunday that a person was found unresponsive in a parked vehicle in an on-campus parking lot.

Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt pronounced the male occupant of the vehicle dead at the scene. The body was taken to Welch Funeral Home in Starkville.

MSU Police, Med-Stat Ambulance personnel, Coroner Hunt, and the Starkville Fire Department were on the scene investigating the incident.

“Our deepest sympathies extend to the family and friends of the victim,” Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt said.

President Mark E. Keenum and MSU First Lady Rhonda Keenum shared their condolences with the family and friends of the student and met Sunday with the men of Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity to express their sympathies, encourage and pray with them.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.