Autopsy: U of C Student Found in Dorm Died of Alcohol Poisoning

A University of Chicago student found dead in his dorm room in February died of alcohol poisoning, authorities said Monday.

Nicholas Barnes, 20, was found Feb. 15 inside his dorm room in the 1400 block of East 59th Street, authorities said. He was found dead about 4:15 p.m., and the body appeared to have been there for some time.

Barnes died of ethanol toxicity, and his death was ruled an accident, said Frank Shuftan, a spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

The Pittsburgh, Pa., native was a third-year student, and involved with the campus literary publication Sliced Bread, school officials said. He lived in International House, a residential facility that includes mostly single rooms.

There was no evidence of foul play, said Karen Warren Coleman, Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services, at the time of his death.

She called Barnes “an excellent student, admired by faculty and peers alike.”