CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The parents of a University of Illinois student who was found dead last weekend has filed a complaint of negligence against the school’s Police Department.
18-year-old Akul Dwahan went missing early Saturday morning and was found dead 10 hours later on the back porch of a building at Nevada Street and Goodwin Avenue. The Champaign County Coroner said Dwahan’s skin showed evidence of hypothermic changes. Preliminary findings showed no evidence of significant trauma. The final autopsy report is pending toxicology studies.
Robin Kaler, Associate Chancellor at the University of Illinois, shared a statement regarding the death of Dwahan.
Any loss of life, but particularly one as bright as Akul’s, is immeasurably tragic.
A friend told police Saturday morning that Akul had not answered his phone for about an hour. Police checked 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 checked local hospitals, accessed student ID card information to see if he had used it to enter any campus buildings, and attempted to reach the student via telephone. The search did not yield any additional information about his possible location.
Robin Kaler, Associate Chancellor at the University of Illinois
Dwahan was found less than a four-minute walk away from the location he was last seen in.
Additionally, Dwahan’s body was found less than 100 feet away from a campus emergency phone. According to a campus safety book, students can ring one of the dozens of phones across campus to call University Police or request a SafeWalks escort.
