The 19-year-old Illinois Institute of Technology student who was found dead in his fraternity house Saturday died of asphyxia from inhaling nitrous oxide from a whipped cream container, authorities said today.
The body of Benjamin Collen, a sophomore biomedical engineering major from Lincolnwood, was discovered Saturday night in a storage room in the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity house on campus.
Small cylinders containing nitrous oxide from whipped cream containers, known casually as "whippets," were found near Collen's body, said Mitra Kalelkar, Cook County deputy chief medical examiner.
An autopsy result released Sunday to the news media by the medical examiner's office incorrectly identified the cause of death as asphyxia due to inhalation of carbon dioxide. Kalelkar said a clerical error at the office led to the misidentification of the chemical.
Nitrous oxide, often called "laughing gas," is used as an anesthetic by dentists and surgeons and as a foaming agent for whipped cream canisters. The gas also is commonly abused as an inhalant.
The date of Collen's death has yet to be determined, and toxicology results from the autopsy are pending, Kalelkar said. Collen had been missing for eight days.
The IIT chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi was in good standing and not under any probationary discipline, said Owen McCulloch, president of the fraternity's national chapter. No disciplinary action would be taken against the fraternity because Collen's death was accidental, McCulloch said Monday morning.
Fraternity members have been moved to alternative housing by the university as police continue to investigate the scene.
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11-25-08 03:01 AM
