Family of deceased Clemson student searching for answers, decade later

ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – It’s been 10 years since the death of Clemson student, Tucker Hipps, who was believed to have been a victim of fraternity hazing.

Cindy Hipps, Tucker’s mother, said he was loving, fun and athletic.

“He was just a ball of love. Everybody loved him,” said Hipps.

Tucker died on September 22, 2014, after a pledge run with his fraternity at Clemson University.

“They were supposed to bring biscuits and hash browns to the quad, but that didn’t get done,” said Hipps. “We do know that there was an exchange of phone calls and the brothers were upset because they didn’t get the breakfast.”

Hipps said there are court records of witnesses that said Tucker was forced to walk the bridge railing as punishment.

His body was found in Lake Hartwell, under the Highway 93 bridge.

“Even during deposition, some of the boys said that Tucker would be made to pay because he was the pledge class president,” said Hipps. “That’s why we think the hazing is involved, because, number one, they’re not supposed to be on a run. Their national organization calls it hazing.”

The family said they have spent the past decade searching for answers.

“I just want the truth of what happened to him so I can have peace because I go over and over in my head all the time what happened to him on that bridge,” said Hipps. “I see him in my thoughts, my dreams, my sleep, falling off that bridge, and the one thing I see is him fighting water and trying to breathe.”

The Hipps Family was behind a South Carolina law called “The Tucker Hipps Transparency Act,” which requires 4-year public universities to publicly report misconduct by fraternity and sorority organizations.

This week, the “Stop Campus Hazing Act” was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and is headed to the Senate. If passed, it would be the first federal law to address hazing.

“It’s never going to replace your child. You will miss Tucker, but it does make his death not seem so vain. It definitely is a death that could have been avoided,” said Hipps.

The Tucker Hipps Memorial Foundation will be hosting its annual golf tournament to honor Hipps’ life. The tournament will be held October 11 at the Paris Mountain Country Club, 301 Old Rockhouse Road, in Greenville, starting at 11 a.m.

A $100,000 reward is still being offered for information that leads to an arrest. You can report anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-888-Crime-SC.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.