By Tara Conry

Matthew Jones, a University freshman, committed suicide last week, his father, Alan Jones, said.

The 19-year-old lived in Enterprise Hall, but in the days leading up to his death he spent more time commuting to his home in Darien, Conn., Daniel Killilea, a roommate of Jones, said.

“He would drive back to the dorm really early and I’d find him sleeping in his bed when I woke up,” Killilea said.

Once Jones was finished with classes for the day he would begin the commute to Connecticut and plan to return before his roommate awoke the next morning. Jones did this for three days in the beginning of the week, but after he left that Wednesday he never returned to his dorm again, Killilea said.

Kyle McDonald, a freshman film major, also shared a dorm room with Jones.

“I noticed that in the past few weeks he had cigarettes sitting on his desk that I’d never seen him with before,” McDonald said.

Killilea, a freshman drama major, said three people came to the dorm room that he shared with Jones and McDonald, on Feb. 23. Among the three was Dr. John Guthman, the director of Student Couseling Services, who told Killilea and McDonald that the University received a call from the Alan and Maureen Jones saying that their son passed away. Killilea said the University did not have any information about the cause of death, but promised to inform the two boys if any news arrived regarding their roommate.

“There were a million thoughts racing through our minds about what might have happened, and personally I thought it was a car accident,” Killilea said, after learning on Wednesday that Jones took his own life.

The University posted a bereavement notice on the portal on Feb. 24 stating that the student passed away at his home over the weekend and that details regarding the funeral and memorial services would be distributed when available.

When Jones’s father and two brothers came to collect personal items from dorm, Killilia said the father did not disclose any information.

Alan Jones said he decided not to share the nature of his son’s death with his roommates, who were still awaiting an explanation a week after receiving the news that Jones had died.

“I didn’t want them to feel bad,” Jones,said. “It wasn’t their fault, it wasn’t anyone’s fault.”

Killilia described Jones as a shy and quiet person, who preferred to keep personal information to himself. Jones spent most of his time in his dorm room alone, usually on the phone with his girlfriend, Killilia said.

“We would watch TV together, but I didn’t have a lot in common with him,” Killilia said.

The University’s Student Counseling Center offers free counseling to all students and faculty members at the Saltzman Center. Counselors can also be reached around the clock by contacting Public Safety.