092712 The family of Harsha Maddula, his mother Dhanalakshmi Maddulahis, his father Prasad Maddula and his uncle Sam Maddula at the Northwestern University in Evanston, Chicago. (
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EVANSTON, Ill. — The death of a Long Island teen pulled from a harbor near his Illinois college campus on Thursday has been ruled a drowning.
The Cook County, Illinois medical examiner told the family of Harsha Maddula on Friday that the 18-year-old drowned. No signs of trauma or foul play were found during the autopsy.
BODY OF MISSING TEEN FOUND NEAR NORTHWESTERN’S CAMPUS
The teen’s disappearance after a Friday night party triggered a massive six-day search around the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, where Maddula was a sophomore.
Maddula, of New Hyde Park, was found Thursday evening floating between boats in a Lake Michigan harbor about two miles north of campus. His cell phone, wallet, and school ID were still in his pockets.
Investigators say they’re still looking for witnesses who may have seen him near the water or leaving a party Saturday morning about
12:30 a.m.
Maddula was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and some members of his family have speculated that he wasn’t taking his medications and became disoriented.