Parents demand answers after UIUC student found dead feet from where he went missing

An 18-year-old student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, or UIUC, was found dead last weekend with signs of hypothermia. Now his parents have filed a complaint against the school's police department for negligence.

Akul B. Dhawan, was reported missing last Saturday a little before 1:30 a.m. by his friend, who said that he had been missing for about an hour, according to the University of Illinois Police. Almost 10 hours later he was found dead on the back porch of a building near the university campus in west Urbana.

While the exact cause of his death is under investigation by the campus police, the Illinois State Police and the Champaign County Coroner's Office, the coroner's office said that preliminary findings of an autopsy performed Tuesday showed signs of hypothermia.

"The preliminary findings showed no evidence of significant trauma," said the Champaign County Coroner in a news release. "There was evidence of hypothermic skin changes. The final autopsy report is pending toxicology studies."

University police also say that "preliminary information suggests that there was no foul play involved, and the death is initially believed to be accidental". An investigation is ongoing.

Illinois and much of the Midwest experienced brutal cold and freezing temperatures in the latter half of January, with wind chills dipping between -20 to -30 degrees.

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Parents demanding answers in wake of son's death

Dhawan's parents have accused the university's police department of negligence and have filed a complaint against them over how the search was handled, according to The News-Gazette.

Ish and Ritu Dhawan told The News-Gazette Wednesday that their son was found just 400 feet from where he was reported missing based on location-tracking data on their son's phone.

“This is bizarre, that a kid is never found who was just less than a block, like one minute away, sitting there, dead, frozen to death,” Ish Dhawan said to the media outlet. “Imagine as a dad and mom what’s going through in our mind. I visualize his every minute that my son froze to death on a university campus.”

“We really need answers,” his mother said. “What is the proof that they totally searched in this area, around the area they’re talking (about), this half-block? My kid would have been found.”

What happened on the night of Akul's death?

When Akul Dhawan was reported missing, university police searched the area where he was last seen, his residence hall and the likely path between the two locations, including the main Quad and streets, said the police. Local hospitals were also checked, and the police attempted to reach the student via telephone. However, they were unable to locate him.

The next morning, shortly after 11 a.m. an employee of the university notified police and emergency medical services of "a man on the back porch of a building". Police said that he was "deceased at the time he was found".

Dhawan's parents, who are based in California, told The News-Gazette that they met with top university officials while in the city. His uncle, Rishab Mehandru, told the media outlet that the family wants to know more about UI's search policy so that no one else would have to endure the same pain as them in the future.

Dhawan, who turned 18 in September, according to The News-Gazette, came to the University of Illinois' Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to study robotics despite his parent's opposition, who wished him to be closer to home.

The University of Illinois did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for information.

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Police asking for public's help

University of Illinois Police have requested anyone with information on the incident to contact the department at 217-333-1216. Tippers can also submit information anonymously by contacting Champaign County Crime Stoppers at 217-373-TIPS, online at 373tips.com or through the P3 Tips mobile app.

All messages to Crime Stoppers are received by a third party and are electronically stripped of identifying information before being forwarded to police.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.