The death of 18-year-old Akul Dhawan, a first-year student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), has raised serious concerns as his parents seek answers regarding the circumstances surrounding his death.
He was found dead on January 20, reportedly due to hypothermia, having been exposed to freezing temperatures of -2.7 degrees after being denied entry to a local club.
Now, Mr Dhawan's parents have written an open letter to the police, expressing their grief and questioning the actions taken by authorities, reported News-Gazette.
In their letter, Ish and Ritu Dhawan expressed the profound impact of their son's sudden death on the family, saying, "Our son died in freezing conditions while at school on campus. No parent should ever experience their child passing away on campus with no one to help him."
"It was only his first week back when we found out that he would never return home," the grieving parents stated.
The letter highlighted the family's pride in Mr Dhawan's academic achievements and revealed the shock they experienced when learning about his death without prior notification from the university about any potential issues leading up to the tragedy.
"We were so proud of our son for completing his semester and thriving at the university. He was a very smart kid who had his whole life before him. As a parent, I never thought I'd receive such news. We are completely devastated. We have a big massive hole left in our family; we will never be the same. Nothing can bring him back," they wrote.
The Dhawan family has raised a series of questions for the UIUC police and university officials, seeking clarity on the handling of Akul's disappearance.
In the letter, they ask, "What process and protocol did the police follow? How many officers were involved in the search? What is the proof that they searched in this area, and around the area?"
Expressing their concern about the police's response, the parents alleged, "We believe that the police never searched for our son. UI police never came in person to speak with the friend who reported him missing. We have been asking why Akul was found 10 hours later, rather than immediately after he was reported missing when he could still be saved. The locations where he was reported missing and where he was found are less than 200 feet apart. 200 feet!"
Accusing the police of negligence, the Dhawans claimed, "We believe that no search was carried out near the Busey-Evans Residence Hall. University police did not follow their missing search protocols. Akul was found less than 200 feet from the Busey-Evans Residence Halls. As parents, we need answers."
They emphasised their conviction that a proper search near the Busey-Evans Residence Hall could have saved their son's life and strongly criticised the alleged negligence of UI police in following established search protocols.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
