It has been one year since the body of Abel Bolanos was found in Lake LaVerne, and ISU Police has since closed its investigation.

According to the medical examiners report, Bolanos’ blood alcohol level was measured at 289 milligrams per deciliter.

“It basically means the same thing as .289 percent,” ISU Police Lt. Darin Van Ryswyk said.

The legal blood alcohol limit in Iowa is .08 percent.

ISU Police Cmdr. Gene Deisinger said the investigation followed two different aspects.

“One is the search and locating of Abel Bolanos, his welfare, and what happened to him in terms of whether it was an accidental death, was it a suicide, was it a homicide – that was our investigation,” Deisinger said.

He said the other aspect of the investigation, which was pursued by Ames Police and the County Attorney’s Office, involved the alcohol in Bolanos’ system.

“There was apparently an off-campus party, and then there were questions raised about the provision of alcohol – because that part was off campus [it] was turned over,” Deisinger said.

The state medical examiner’s report cited investigation that said Bolanos had a medical history of “depression and frequent, heavy alcohol use.”

Deisinger said he couldn’t speak about Bolanos’ medical history, but did say Bolanos had a prior public intoxication charge and that the police had done one prior welfare check.

“There was one where he had been with friends after consuming alcohol and had not gotten back home,” Deisinger said. “There was no crime – the investigator was trying to establish his welfare.”

Bolanos unsuccessfully attempted to enter the unoccupied Wilson Hall twice on Saturday, March 31, 2007 – the night he disappeared. His residence was actually in nearby Wallace Hall.

About three minutes after Bolanos’ attempt to enter Wilson Hall, another attempt was made with a different card.

“We know who the person was and had interviewed them at the time,” Deisinger said. “And we do not believe that they had any involvement or direct knowledge regarding Abel’s disappearance.”

According to the medical examiner’s report, Bolanos’ death was an accidental drowning. He was also diagnosed with acute alcohol intoxication.

There were also “minor abrasions on [the] upper lip, right forearm and right knee,” according to the report.

Deisinger said Bolanos’ injuries were superficial.

“They were consistent with what could have occurred to a body either at the time that he went into the water or after being immersed in the water,” Deisinger said.

He said the area in the lake in which Bolanos’ body was found contained several branches and stones but that he didn’t want to speculate on how the injuries could have occurred.

“There was one area on the shoreline directly perpendicular from where his body was found that could have been a point where someone went in – the trouble was that several days had passed from when he was last seen and when his body was found,” Deisinger said.

He also said there had been a large rain storm between the time Bolanos disappeared and when he was found, which made reconstructing the incident even more difficult of a task.

“We were never able to determine a point where he went into the water,” Deisinger said.

Story County Attorney Stephen Holmes said the case has been closed for several months.

He said that no charges were brought against the hosts of the party Bolanos attended on the night he disappeared – which took place at 208 S. Hyland Ave. – because there was not sufficient evidence to prove they had given Bolanos any alcohol.

Deisinger said the police have not significantly changed the way they operate based on the incident.

“As unfortunate as Abel’s death has been, I think that, as a society, we can’t prevent every unfortunate event that occurs. That isn’t to say that we don’t take reasonable actions. But what do you do to keep somebody away from the lake? Or any body of water – a bathtub in a residence hall or a shower in a residence hall?” Deisinger said. “These are occurrences of life, as sad and tragic as they are; all appearances are that Abel made choices that affected his welfare that night. Persons that he was with made choices – I’m not saying caused his death – but made choices that affected his welfare, and their own for that matter, and as individuals, we all do that.”