Newman suspends 3 student athletes; woman’s body found after party

Newman University officials have temporarily suspended three student athletes from sports activities as Wichita police investigate the death of a 20-year-old woman who was found over the weekend near the off-campus home of one of the students.

The university, in a news release, said the three students who play baseball may continue to attend classes.

The school is waiting for more information from police, according to the release.

Police officers were called at about 8 a.m. Sunday when a 37-year-old man found the woman inside a pickup truck in the 1400 block of South Topeka. She was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene, Wichita police Officer Charley Davidson said Monday.

The woman is not a Newman student, the university said, but the Newman University community is “saddened by the young woman’s death and are praying for her and her family.”

There were no signs of obvious trauma, police said, and an autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

A police report identifies the woman as Griffin Cruise.

The truck belongs to her family. The man who found her doesn’t know her and was just in the area, Davidson said.

The Newman University student newspaper, The Vantage, reported her truck was in a parking lot across the street from where a party hosted by Newman students was being held. Davidson didn’t have any information about the party, but said the woman was found wearing a costume.

The university said it also was conducting a review of the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 316-268-4407 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

This story was originally published October 30, 2017 at 3:09 PM with the headline "Newman suspends 3 student athletes; woman’s body found after party."