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Akul Dhawan: Illinois officials confirm Indian-American student died from hypothermia after nightclub refused entry
Akul Dhawan, an Indian-origin student at Illinois University, died last month on West Nevada Street after freezing to death near a club that refused him entry.
Akul Dhawan, an Indian-origin student at Illinois University, died last month on West Nevada Street after freezing to death near a club that refused him entry during a night out with friends, according to the Champaign County Coroner’s Office.
On February 20, Champaign County Coroner Stephen Thuney released a statement, providing an official cause of Dhawan's death. The release ruled that the death was accidental.
“An autopsy was performed on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, that confirmed the death of Mr. Dhawan was due to hypothermia. Acute alcohol intoxication and prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures, significantly contributed to his death,” the press release stated.
On February 11, community members attended a vigil to pay tribute to Dhawan in presence of his parents, who expressed their grief over the news in a letter to the News-Gazette.
"We have a big massive hole left in our family; we will never be the same," they stated in the letter.
On January 19, Dhawan left the bar about midnight but declined requests to take him home via rideshare. All phone calls and text messages from his friends to Dhawan's phone went unanswered, and he was reported missing at 1:23 am.
18-year-old Dhawan's body was found 10 hours later, as per the campus police department.
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Preliminary report says ‘no foul play found’
Last month, the coroner's office said the preliminary report showed no evidence of significant trauma. "There was no foul play involved and the death is initially believed to be accidental."
Dhawan's parents have filed a complaint against the university's police department, accusing them of negligence in the way the search was conducted, reported The News-Gazette newspaper.
After Akul reported missing, school police "searched the area where the student was last seen, the student's residence hall and the likely path between the two locations, including the main Quad and streets." Police also looked into nearby hospitals and made phone calls to the student.
Dhawan’s parents, who live in California, said they met with top university officials while in town this week. They even filed a complaint against the school's police for negligence.
His uncle, Rishab Mehandru stated that in order to prevent others from going through the same pain, they would like to know more about the UI's search policy and whether there are any problems with its procedures.
Dhawan took admission in the University of Illinois' Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to study robotics despite his parent's resentment, who wished him to study closer to home in California.
