UI Police say Gerald Belz’ death has been ruled accidental
KCJJ Staff
02/15/19
University of Iowa Police say an autopsy conducted on a student found dead on campus last month has been ruled an accident.
Police on Friday released the cause of death for Gerald Belz, 18, a Cedar Rapids native who was in his first year at the UI but had accrued enough credits to be considered a second-year student. They say an autopsy determined Belz died from hypothermia due to exposure to extreme cold.
They add the autopsy found he had recently used THC but no other illegal substances, including alcohol, were found in his system at the time of his death.
Belz was found behind Halsey Hall on West Jefferson Street early the morning of Jan. 30, when temperatures were recorded at lower than minus-20 degrees and wind chills were below minus-50. He was taken to the UI Hospitals and Clinics but was pronounced dead about two hours after his arrival.
Belz was a Cedar Rapids Kennedy graduate who was a pre-medicine major. A memorial service was held in Iowa City earlier this month, as was a funeral service in Cedar Rapids.
UI Police say their investigation into his death remains ongoing and their “thoughts remain with the Belz family and friends.”
