Police recovered the body of Lauren Li, a 21-year-old University of Minnesota student, from the Chicago River where she and two friends fell in, ABC Chicago reported.
The Cook County Medical Examiner confirmed Wednesday the body found by the Chicago Police marine unit was Li. On Monday, she and two friends fell in after one of the young men dropped his cell phone onto the ice.
Ken Hoang, 26, and his cousin Quoc Viet Phan Hoang were taking photos near the river after midnight Monday with Li. After Hoang dropped his cell phone onto the ice, he went to retrieve it and fell in. Li and Phan Hoang tried to pull him out but also fell in. Phan Hoang is the only to have survived the incident.
"I lost two good friends. It's not easy seeing your friends drift away and having one die in your arms," he said in a statement from the hospital, where he is recovering, Tuesday night. "I have never felt so helpless in my life. Thank you for everyone's thoughts and prayers."
Family members told ABC Chicago the three were close friends on a road trip to New Jersey when they made a stop in Chicago. Phan Hoang also thanked the first responders who saved him, as well as Luis Bertrand, the man who called 911.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Cook County medical examiner said Hoang drowned and that alcohol contributed to his death. Li's autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.
The search for Li's body was prolonged through all of Monday and Tuesday due to freezing temperatures and utter darkness in the water. Divers even used a sonar device to try and probe the ice-covered water.
Li was an honors student at UM hoping to one day become a doctor and Hoang was a graduate of the school.
