The investigation into the tragic death of Brissa Romero, the 17-year-old from Carpentersville who went missing last December, has concluded with the Lake County Coroner’s Office declaring drowning as her cause of death, while also noting that ethanol intoxication was a contributing factor in the incident, NBC Chicago reported.
Authorities, piecing together the events leading to Romero's death, disclosed that toxicology reports tested positive for THC and showed her blood alcohol content was 0.160, double the legal driving limit; Romero was last seen driving her Nissan Rogue on the night of December 4th before it ended up submerged in a Vernon Hills retention pond, FOX 32 Chicago stated.
According to local police, surveillance footage had captured Romero at a nearby fast-food restaurant shortly before her disappearance: she parked her car, entered the establishment, and later exited by herself before driving away from the scene; within 15 minutes of leaving, the last signal from her phone was detected close to where her vehicle would eventually be found.
The break in the search for Romero came when a resident alerted an officer to a backpack floating at the edge of the pond—the backpack turned out to be Romero’s, signaling the tragic end to the intense search for the teen, a search operation that the Romero family faced with a mix of hope and despair; they had recently gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady Guadalupe seeking spiritual solace pleading for Brissa's safety and well-being, "Since it’s the Virgin Mary’s day right now, we are just trying to plead that she is okay and safe and well rested, at least if that is her body," Brissa's sister, Dulce Romero, told FOX 32 Chicago.
In a shared statement by the tight-knit police departments of Carpentersville and Vernon Hills, they expressed their profound condolences to Brissa’s family and commended the community for its support and unity during the search, "The men and women of both the Carpentersville and Vernon Hills Police Departments worked diligently and with sincere hope for Brissa’s safe return since she was reported missing," the departments said, as NBC Chicago reported.
