Posted June 13, 12:04 a.m.
The death of SESP freshman Matthew S. Sunshine, who was found late Tuesday morning, June 10, in his Foster House dorm room, was caused by alcohol intoxication, a spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said today.
The Medical Examiner’s office, which performed an autopsy today, has ruled Sunshine’s death accidental, the spokesman said.
Sunshine was drinking in Foster House Monday night before students helped him back to his room, according to a statement from Cmdr. Tom Guenther of the Evanston Police Department.
Students checked on Sunshine during the night and said he was sleeping fine, but he was unresponsive when a student went to check on him at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, according to the statement.
EPD is investigating the case with help from University Police.
A vigil will be held in honor of Sunshine at the Rock on Thursday at 9:30 p.m., Vice President for Student Affairs William Banis said in a statement today.
“This unfortunate death serves as a tragic example of the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption,” Banis said. “This phenomenon occurs on college campuses nationwide and Northwestern is not immune from such societal issues. Nevertheless, it is devastating to lose a member of our community in this manner and we are all affected by it.”
Check dailynorthwestern.com for more details on this story.
