Coroner: Des Plaines student's death in fall at NIU under investigation
An autopsy Tuesday was inconclusive on the manner of death of a 19-year-old Northern Illinois University student from Des Plaines who authorities say fell from an 11th-floor dormitory window Saturday night.
A decision on the manner of death may come after toxicology results, which could take weeks, according to the DeKalb County coroner's office.
The autopsy confirmed the physical cause of Oluwarotimi "Timi" Okedina's death was closed injuries sustained from the fall.
Cmdr. Don Rodman of NIU's Police and Public Safety Department said the investigation of Okedina's death remains open. He declined to comment on whether there were witnesses to the fall.
According to campus authorities, a window screen had been removed from the 11th-floor room before Okedina fell. There were no details on who removed it, or if investigators know who removed it, and why.
Okedina did not live at the Stevenson Towers residence hall from which he fell, but at another dorm on campus, officials said.
Okedina was a 2014 graduate of Maine East High School in Park Ridge. Administrators in Maine Township High School District 207 released a statement Tuesday expressing the deep sadness of staff and students at Maine East and extending condolences to Okedina's family and friends.
Counselors and social workers from Maine East's Student Personnel Services Department have been made available for students and staff. Teachers and other staff members who observe that students are distraught have been asked to refer them to the Student Personnel Services Department, according to the district.
Visitation for Okedina will be from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at Smith-Corcoran Funeral Home, 6150 N. Cicero Ave. in Chicago. A funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at the same location.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Calvary Redemption Center, 8250 Skokie Blvd., Skokie IL 60077.