Death On University Of Illinois Campus Believed To Be Accidental: Police

URBANA, IL — University of Illinois Police do not believe foul play was involved after a person was found dead on the campus early Monday.

Officers were dispatched to the area of Green and Wright streets in Urbana around 6:42 a.m. Monday for a report of a person found unresponsive near the campus' Alma Mater statue.

Officers found the person, identified as 29-year-old Alex C. Rodriguez, on a concrete bench and requested emergency medical help.

According to police, the Champaign County Coroner's Office responded to the scene, where Rodriguez was pronounced dead.

There was no sign of foul play, and an autopsy was scheduled, said police, who believe the death was accidental.

Rodriquez was not affiliated with the university, police said.

"Based on the information available at the time of the call, there was no evidence of an ongoing threat to the campus community, and an Illini-Alert emergency notification was not issued," police said in a news release.

University of Illinois Police and the coroner's office are investigating the circumstances of Rodriguez' death, according to police.

According to the university website, the Alma Mater statue, by sculptor and alumnus Lorado Taft, was unveiled in 1929 and is "perhaps the most recognizable symbol" of the campus and was the subject of a 2018 documentary for the Big Ten Network.