Nov 24, 2008 6:01 am US/Central
Missing IIT Student Found Dead At Fraternity House
Benjamin Collen Had Been Missing Since Nov. 14
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Benjamin Collen, 19, was found dead Nov. 22. The IIT student had been missing since Nov. 14.
Collen Family
A 19-year-old Illinois Institute of Technology student found dead in a fraternity house more than a week after he was reported missing died accidentally, authorities said Sunday.
Benjamin Collen was reported missing after he was last seen nodding to an acquaintance near 31st Street and Lake Shore Drive Saturday, according to Wentworth Area Special Victim Unit Detective Coran.
Collen, who lived in student housing near 32nd Street and Wabash Avenue, was found inside the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity house, 3361 S. Wabash Ave. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 7:10 p.m., a representative of the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said.
A Sunday autopsy determined Collen died of asphyxia from inhaling carbon dioxide from a canister, according to the medical examiner's office. His death was ruled accidental.
Authorities said Collen apparently intentionally inhaled the carbon dioxide in an attempt to become intoxicated.
He had previously been a member of the fraternity and still had a key to the house, which he apparently used to let himself inside, a police source said.
The teen was found in a storage room on the second floor with a window open. The storage room is not frequently used and detectives do not believe anyone in the fraternity house was aware Collen's body was there, according to the source.
IIT released the following statement Sunday:
"IIT Student Ben Collen, a sophomore biomedical engineering major, who was reported missing on November 14, was found dead Saturday evening on the IIT campus. His death is currently under investigation by the Chicago Police Department. No further information is available at this time."
"Our heartfelt condolences go to Ben Collen's family on their terrible loss," said IIT President John L. Anderson. "The whole IIT community mourns Ben's death along with his family."
After going missing, police and family were "very worried," because the young man had never gone missing before.
Collen was not on any medications and was not behaving irregularly before he went missing, Coran said.
Collen was from Lincolnwood and was actively involved in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at IIT.
IIT counselors were on duty Sunday to counsel those affected by Collen's death.
The STNG Wire contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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