Indian-Origin student Akul Dhawan froze to death near club which denied him entry

Akul Dhawan, the 18-year-old Indian-American student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the US who was found dead near a club last month died of hypothermia following “acute alcohol intoxication and prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures, said findings of the Champaign County Coroner’s Office in Illinois

Akul Dhawan’s body was found on the back porch of a building near the university campus in west Urbana in US’ Illinois on January 20) after going missing for several hours.

Earlier, after an investigation, police stated that the information gathered so far supports their initial assessment that Dhawan’s death was an accident and that no “foul play” occurred.

However, the Champaign County Coroner’s Office in Illinois said this week that Dhawan died of hypothermia following “acute alcohol intoxication and prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures, which significantly contributed to his death.”

The Champaign County Coroner’s Office’s findings say, “An autopsy was performed on January 23, 2024, that confirmed the death of Dhawan was due to hypothermia. Acute alcohol intoxication and prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures, significantly contributed to his death.”

Meanwhile, Dhawan’s parents have alleged that the university police neglected their duty and that no comprehensive search was done around the Busey-Evans residence hall.

What transpired on January 20 before Akul Dhawan’s death?
Akul gone out for a few drinks with his friends to a club near the university campus in Urbana in the US state of Illinois at around 11:30pm that night.

However, the staff denied him entry to the club despite him trying to enter the club “multiple times”.

He then went missing. His friends called him multiple times but did not get any response, following which one of his friend contacted the campus police.

Later, next day morning, his body was found on the back porch of a building near the university campus.

Who was Akul Dhawan?
Dhawan was a freshman at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was studying robotics at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Akul had earned his high school diploma from the Junipero Serra High School in California’s San Mateo and studied Computer Science at the College of San Mateo.

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