A chilling text message allegedly sent by Danny Santulli's fraternity "pledge dad" moments after Santulli suffered devastating, life-changing injuries has been revealed in court documents.
What happened that night
Santulli, then a 19-year-old University of Missouri freshman, was taking part in an event called "pledge dad reveal night" at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house on 19 October 2021. According to court documents, he had a bottle of vodka taped to his hands and was forced to drink it, along with some beer. Security footage shows him losing his balance and falling backward as he became severely intoxicated, before being carried to a sofa by fraternity members, at one point striking his head on a tile floor. He later fell off the sofa and wasn't lifted back up for 15 minutes, at which point he was carried outside, dropped once more, and driven to hospital.
The medical emergency
Santulli was found not breathing and in cardiac arrest during the drive to hospital. His blood alcohol content was recorded at 0.486%, six times the legal limit. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a level above 0.30% is considered life-threatening, and anything above 0.40% is potentially fatal. He spent six weeks in intensive care before being transferred to a rehabilitation hospital, and now requires lifelong care after being left unable to walk, speak, or see.
The text message
Ryan Delanty, who served as Santulli's assigned "pledge dad" that night, sent a text message to a friend moments after Santulli collapsed, according to court documents obtained by the Columbia Tribune. The message read: "My son is dead."
His father's decision to watch the footage
Santulli's father, Tom, insisted on watching the entire security footage himself, telling Fox News Digital: "People say, 'Are you sure you want to see it?' Yes, I want to see what happened to my son. I do want to see the abuse. I want to see exactly what happened. And yes, I was blown away. But then again, I said, 'I'm glad [I saw it].' Now we're focused – now we're on a mission, and we're going to hold people accountable for what happened that evening." He said he believes his son survived so their family could raise awareness and prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy.
Earlier warning signs
Santulli's parents said he had been sleep-deprived and struggling with the pledging process in the weeks before the incident, at one point breaking down to his older sister as his grades began slipping. He had also been hospitalised on a separate occasion during pledging, after an older fraternity member instructed him to climb into a trash can filled with broken glass.
The legal outcome
Delanty pleaded guilty in May 2024 to reduced misdemeanour charges of hazing and supplying alcohol to a minor, receiving six months in jail followed by six months of house arrest. Santulli's brother, Nick, said in a victim impact statement that no one had looked out for Danny that night, and that those responsible had shown no remorse. Delanty's attorney, Stephanie Fortus, said her client is remorseful and understands the severity of what happened, adding that he wishes he could change his actions that night.
The wider fallout
The Santulli family filed a civil lawsuit against the fraternity and 23 of its members, later settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Santulli's mother, Mary Pat, urged other parents to research fraternities' and sororities' safety records before allowing their children to join, warning that similar incidents will continue without wider education and accountability. Attorney David Bianchi, who represented the family, said the incident reflected a broader pattern of unsafe behaviour tied to the fraternity's culture. According to the New York Post, the Phi Gamma Delta chapter had recorded six alcohol policy violations and two hazing violations in Missouri since 2017, and the chapter has since been permanently closed. Phi Gamma Delta's executive director, Rob Caudill, said in a statement that hazing and providing alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited by the organisation, and that it acted immediately to shut down the chapter's activities.
Santulli's case has also been featured in A&E's true-crime docuseries Houses of Horror: Secrets of College Greek Life.
