College freshman, 18, is found dead in her dorm room after a night of binge-drinking vodka and 'pre-gaming' with champagne 

  • Erica Buschick, of Illinois, was found dead in her room at Miami University in Ohio on January 20
  • Incident report released by Miami University PD stated that the college freshman had spent the night before consuming large quantities of alcohol 
  • Buschick fell several times before being brought back to her room and falling asleep on a bean bag chair, never to wake up 
  • The 18-year-old was an honor student in high school and entered Miami University last fall as a special education major  

Erica Buschick relished being a student at Miami University in Ohio, so much so that in her final Facebook post in late November, the 18-year-old gushingly wrote: 'I wanna got to college for the rest of my life.'

Two months to the day after posting the effusive status update, the young woman was discovered dead in her dormitory room at Morris Hall on campus after a night of what university police have described as 'high-risk alcohol consumption.

An incident report released last week by the Miami University Police Department detailed the chain of events leading up to Buschick’s death, revealing that the 18-year-old had consumed large quantities of champagne and vodka with friends, had taken multiple falls and had to be escorted back to her room because she was unsteady on her feet.

Erica Buschick was a freshman at Miami University in Ohio
The 18-year-old died in late January after a night of heavy drinking with friends

Untimely death: Erica Buschick, a freshman at Miami University in Ohio, died in late January after a night of heavy drinking with friends 

Buschick was found lying unresponsive on a bean bag chair in her room at Morris Hall dormitory on campus in Oxford, Ohio, on the morning of January 20 

Buschick was found lying unresponsive on a bean bag chair in her room at Morris Hall dormitory on campus in Oxford, Ohio, on the morning of January 20 

Buschick, a native of Gurnee, Illinois, had just returned to college on the evening of January 19 after spending her winter break at home. By 10pm that night, according to the incident report, released to the college newspaper The Miami Student, the freshman and her roommate began drinking alcohol, polishing off two bottles of champagne between the two of them.

The 25-page report states that Buschick and the other student then filled a bottle of Dasani water about halfway with vodka and made their way to a house party at a friend’s apartment off campus.

Silent killer: According to a police report, Erica and her roommate had polished off two bottles of champagne between the two of them, followed by half a bottle of vodka and additional vodka shots at a house party

Silent killer: According to a police report, Erica and her roommate had polished off two bottles of champagne between the two of them, followed by half a bottle of vodka and additional vodka shots at a house party

By 10.45pm, Buschick and her friend drank all of the vodka from their bottle, and their friends then brought out a large bottle of high-end Grey Goose, which they said was filled with cheap vodka.

After 'pregaming' with the vodka, the group headed to Brick Street Bar Uptown to continuing partying.

A friend then called the girl's roommate, telling her Buschick needed to be taken home.

Buschick and her friend eventually got into a cab together and headed back to their dormitory, arriving there sometime after midnight.

Tthe taxi driver who took the two inebriated women to Morris Hall would later tell police that upon exiting the car, Buschick collapsed to the ground face first, leaving her with multiple scrapes.

The 18-year-old was unable to walk without assistance, so her roommate asked the taxi driver to help her to their second-floor room.

Concerned that Buschick might fall again and hit her head, the cabbie said he laid her down on a bean bag chair and told her roommate to look after her.

The girl's roommate fell asleep at around 1am, but not before snapping a photo of Buschick on the bean bag chair, which she posted onto an Instagram account. Police would later delete the image.

Buschick was an honor student in high school
She majored in special education at Miami University and aspired to work with people with intellectual disabilities

High hopes dashed: Buschick, an honor student in high school, majored in special education at Miami University and aspired to work with people with intellectual disabilities 

Tight-knit bunch: Erica, pictured far left, was the youngest of three sisters. The image above shows Donna and Eric Buschick with their three daughters

Tight-knit bunch: Erica, pictured far left, was the youngest of three sisters. The image above shows Donna and Eric Buschick with their three daughters

On the walk over, the report states that Buschick fell and was later deemed too drunk to enter the drinking establishment.

When the roommate woke up the next morning, she found Buschick cold to the touch and still lying on the chair in the same position as the night before, which prompted her to call 911.

Police officers were summoned to the dormitory just before 9am on January 20, and Buschick was pronounced dead a short time later.

The Butler County Coroner’s office has not released a toxicology report as of Friday morning, but investigators have suggested that 'high-risk alcohol consumption' most likely contributed to Erica Buschick’s death.

The student’s father, Eric Buhchick, told Chicago Tribune he was on his way home from an out-of-state business trip when he got the worst call of his life.

‘She was my baby girl,’ the devastated father-of-three said or Erica, adding that while he does not blame anyone for her death, he would like Miami University to take steps in order to make sure that what happened to his daughter does not happen to anyone else.

Miami University President Gregory Crawford said in a statement that he will undertake a ‘holistic assessment’ of the school's effort to curtail binge-drinking among students.

The youngest of three daughters, Erica dreamed of becoming a special education teacher.

Daddy's little girl: Eric Buschick, pictured here next to his youngest daughter, Erica, back in 2013, said he wants her university to take steps in order to curb drinking among students 

Daddy's little girl: Eric Buschick, pictured here next to his youngest daughter, Erica, back in 2013, said he wants her university to take steps in order to curb drinking among students 

According to her father, helping people with developmental disables had been her passion from the time she was a student at Warren Township High School, from which she graduated as a member of the National Honor Society.

When she entered Miami University last fall, she declared special education as her major and joined a local chapter of Best Buddies - a volunteer organisation helping people with intellectual disabilities.

Erica is survived by her parents, Eric and Donna, and two older sisters, Loren and Danielle.

Two days after Erica's death, Loren Buschick posted an impassioned tribute to her 'extraordinary' baby sister.

‘Erica was not just my little sister, she was my best friend, my other half, my everything,’ she wrote. ‘My world revolved around her. Making her laugh, making her happy and making sure she was succeeding. I never wanted to i

 

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