Harvard student who drowned in harbour after celebrating graduation was drunk, autopsy finds

• Nathan Bihlmaier three times the legal drink-drive limit when he fell in water
  
• Autopsy found that 31-year-old had suffered only minor cuts and bruises
  
• Was celebrating with friends in pub when asked to leave for being too drunk
• No charges will be brought after medical examiner rules death accidental
  

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 04:30 EDT, 15 November 2012 | Updated: 04:42 EDT, 15 November 2012

A Harvard Business School student who drowned after celebrating his upcoming graduation was drunk when he fell into the water, it emerged today.

Nathan Bihlmaier, 31, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, was pulled out of Portland Harbour by divers two days after disappearing in the early hours of May 20.

An autopsy has found that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.22 per cent, nearly three times the legal drink-drive limit of 0.08 per cent.

Drowned: Nathan Bihlmaier (pictured with his wife Nancy) fell into Portland Harbour in May after celebrating his graduation

Last seen: Mr Bihlmaier visited the Old Port area before he vanished. Divers found a body in the harbour two days later

That level of intoxication generally causes impairments in motor skills, balance and judgment.

The blood tests found no drugs in his system, except caffeine.

The autopsy, seen by the Portland Press Herald, found no major injuries apart from minor cuts and bruises, possibly caused by his fall into the water.

The state Medical Examiner's Office received two sets of test results in June and sought more tests in September, although it is not clear why.

The Medical Examiner's Office had not returned calls from the Press Herald on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Desperate search: A missing poster of Nathan Bihlmaier, 31, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, put up in Portland, Maine, after his disappearance

No charges will be brought as a result of the tragedy after the state medical examiner ruled that his death was accidental.

There is also no record in Portland District Court of any lawsuit linked to Mr Bihlmaier's death.

Police said Mr Bihlmaier was separated from friends after being asked to leave the Ri Ra Irish Pub in Commercial Street at 12.20am on May 20 because he was intoxicated. He later failed to return to his hotel.

He had been due to graduate three days later and he and his wife had just learned that she was pregnant.

Police said Mr Bihlmaier and his two friends traveled to Portland for the weekend to celebrate their graduation from business school.

Concerned: Mr Bihlmaier's pregnant wife, Nancy Hi Bihlmaier, pictured with her husband at right, rushed to the coastal city after receiving the news of his death

Police confirmed that he had 'a little bit too much to drink' when he was asked to leave, but added that he did not cause a disturbance while leaving the bar.

'At that point he left the bar very co-operatively,' police chief Michael Sauschuck said at the time.

'There were no altercations - he just left voluntarily after being spoken to by bar staff.'

He spoke to his friends on the phone, but never returned to the hotel where they were staying. They searched for him to no avail and reported him missing at 9am.

'He is a well-established individual from a strong family. There is no reason he would [purposely] go missing,' Lt Gary Hutcheson told the Press Herald at the time.

Family: Mr Bihlmaier, originally from Kansas, with his wife Nancy and his parents Cheryl and Steve

According to his cell phone records, Mr Bihlmaier did not venture far.

Police tracked his movements through his phone signal after he left the bar until his battery apparently died 40 minutes later.

The Coast Guard and the Portland harbormaster worked together with police to launch the underwater hunt for clues.

They even used a cadaver dog on an inflatable raft to search for the man's scent.

His wife, Nancy Hi Bihlmaier, rushed to the coastal city after receiving the news that her husband was missing, as did around 20 of his business school friends.

Mystery: Police tracked him after he left Ri Ra, pictured, until his phone battery died 40 minutes later

A spokesman for the school told the Press Herald at the time: 'His friends describe him as really one top-notch guy.'

Mr Bihlmaier, whose family comes from Kansas but who is now based in the Boston area, specializes in the business of healthcare, and is employed by medical provider Optum.

He has previously worked at several other healthcare firms, as well as for the Department of Health and Human Services.