Investigation: Purdue student intoxicated at time of death

New information released today by Purdue University states that Wade Steffey, who died Jan. 13 of accidental electrocution on the campus, had a blood alcohol content “above the legal limit for intoxication.”\nSteffey, 19, was a National Merit scholar from Bloomington. He was reported missing by his roommate after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Search efforts were unsuccessful in the weeks following his disappearance.\nAn independent firm, The Rimkus Consulting Group, was hired in March by attorneys representing Purdue. The firm, according to a press release by Purdue officials, specializes in accident reconstruction.\nWade Steffey, who went missing for more than two months, was found dead in a high-voltage utility closet March 19 at Purdue. His electrocution was ruled accidental after it was discovered he was trying to retrieve his jacket left inside a dorm. The high-voltage utility closet door he entered was unlocked and not labeled as dangerous.\nAccording to the press release, the high-voltage closet in which Steffey was found dead and the equipment in that room “were in compliance with applicable codes and regulations.” Also, the release states that the door was either unlocked or not securely latched.\n“The Indiana Electrical Code requires that the door be locked,” the press release stated.\nThe release further concluded that at the time of Steffey’s death, his blood alcohol limit was “above the legal limit for intoxication, but below the level considered lethal.”\nCheck Thursday’s edition of the Indiana Daily Student for a more in-depth look on the investigative report.