DETROIT — The attorney for the family of a 19-year-old University of Michigan student who was found dead after being reported missing is requesting that the university and a campus fraternity preserve all evidence related to the student's death.

Attorney Bobby Raitt of Ann Arbor-based Raitt Law said his office has opened an investigation into the death of Lucas Mattson, who was found dead after being reported missing and walking outside without a coat in freezing weather. The letter of preservation sent to the university and both the local and national chapters of Delta Chi Fraternity on Jan. 31 will help ensure his firm has access to certain evidence relating to Mattson's death, he said.

Raitt said in the letter that he learned that Mattson was last seen walking alone near the 1700 block of Hill Street in Ann Arbor at about 1 a.m. on Jan. 23 after leaving a Delta Chi fraternity party located at 1705Hill Street. Raitt said in the letter that Mattson, who is from Alaska, was given alcohol at the party, which he believed led to his death.

"Right now, what we know is that this Delta Chi fraternity 100% served alcohol to Lucas Mattson as a 19-year-old," Raitt told The Detroit News. "No safety measures were in place to prevent him from drinking or leaving drunk.

Raitt pointed to the Michigan Social Host Liability Law, which says a host cannot serve a minor alcohol and that a host could be held liable for any harm done by the minor to themselves or others while intoxicated.

The national chapter of the Delta Chi fraternity did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment. A message was left with the local chapter's phone number as listed on the student organization's website.

"His mom is a single, divorced mom," Raitt said of his client. "(Mattson) was an only child. ... He came all the way from Alaska to the University of Michigan, where he wanted to study engineering. ... He was conscientious, kind. He was his mother’s whole life."

UM President Domenico Grasso directed a cabinet member and his top public safety official in late January to retrace the events surrounding the death of Mattson.

Raitt said he believes the fraternity is completely at fault for what happened to Mattson.

"We confirmed everything in this case," Raitt said. "There were no sober monitors at the party. There was alcohol, he took part in the drinking, he walked out and then apparently froze to death."

The attorney included the university in the letter of preservation in case there were any related incident reports filed against the fraternity that the university was aware of.

"You never know what you're going to find," he said.

UM did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.

The letter of preservation asks Delta Chi to direct its members and other associates to preserve recordings, photos, guest and attendee lists for the party and any written reports related to Mattson's death from either the local or national chapters of the fraternity.

The letter asks the university to preserve all documentation related to the fraternity, like meeting minutes, event hosting guidelines, past incident reports, documents related to its investigation in this matter and and all documents or media related to attempts to prevent fraternities or sororities from servingalcohol to minors.

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