Autopsy Reveals More Details Into Death Of Brissa Romero

VERNON HILLS, IL — The Lake County Coroner's Office has determined the death of a 17-year-old girl who drowned after driving into a pond while on her way to a Christmas party last month was accidental.

ABC 7 is reporting the cause of Brissa Romero's death was due to drowning, and toxicology tests revealed she had a blood alcohol concentration of .16 when her sport utility vehicle went into a retention pond in the area of Executive Way and Lakeview Parkway on Dec. 5. She also had marijuana in her system.

Romero, 17, of Carpentersville was reported missing on Dec. 4 after she never showed up to a holiday party for the Crystal Lake Chick-fil-A at a Bowlero in Vernon Hills. Her SUV was found in the retention a week later, and her body was later pulled from the pond.

Romero graduated from Barrington High School in 2023, a year early, and was attending Harper College, where she was studying to become an ultrasound technician, at the time of her death, according to Fox 32 Chicago.