Austin Bice. (Photo courtesy the "Prayers for Austin Bice" Facebook group)
The body of San Diego State University student Austin Bice has been found in a river in Madrid, Spanish authorities said Tuesday.
Bice’s body was found in the same area of the Madrid club that he was last seen at early on February 26. Police also said there were no initial signs of foul play, but only an autopsy would be able to determine the exact cause of death.
USC Junior Kassie Lorenzen says she plans to be more cautious while studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. (via Skype)
Friends Bice was with said they were drinking before they went out to the discotheque, and that a doorman turned Bice away from the club, suggesting instead that he get some rest. After that, according to Bice’s friends, he left Nightclub La Riviera alone, and was not seen since.
Larry Bice, Austin’s father, has been in Madrid since last week working with Spanish authorities to find his son. The search focused around the area where Bice was last seen, including the shores of the Manzanares river, where his body was found.
Austin was blogging about his time in Spain, saying that he was trying his best to assimilate into the culture.
“Before I came to Spain, I was told by all of my advisers that I should try to keep calm at parties and not try to be the typical loud and drunk American,” Bice wrote in a February 9 post. “I have done exactly that, staying back and watching hilarious drunken events occur from a relatively sober mind. The Spaniards at the party were not following along with this ideology.”
His last post on February 25 said: “Hopefully it will not disappoint (I assume it will not). It’s in Madrid and it should be a fun night.”
He added: “Now, I truly must be going, my Spanish roommates are expecting me to prepare some authentic American food ... Hope they like Hamburgers!”
The family plans to take Bice’s body back to the United States to bury it, according to a spokesperson for the Spanish university Austin was studying at. Friends and family have also set up a Facebook page to remember Austin.
