No foul play is suspected in the death of NIU student Marlon Blue, DeKalb police said Monday.

Blue’s body was found Sunday morning in a retention pond off Hillcrest Drive more than 24 hours after he disappeared while on his way to a friend’s house.

Blue, 21, of Homewood, last was seen by friends at about 2 a.m. Saturday, Lt. Jim Kayes of the DeKalb Police Department said. He was dropped off by friends in the 1100 block of Hillcrest Drive. He intended to walk alone two blocks to a friend’s party in the 900 block of Regent Drive.

Blue never made it to the party. Police speculate he might have fallen into the retention pond near the intersection of Hillcrest and Regent drives while on his way to the party.

Near the pond, a passerby found Blue’s phone. The person attempted to call numbers in Blue’s cell phone to find the phone’s owner, Kayes said. He eventually made contact with Blue’s friends and told them where he found the phone.

The T-shirt Blue was wearing the night he disappeared also was found near the pond.

How or why he was in the pond still is unknown, Kayes said. While it was unseasonably warm that night, it is unlikely, Kayes added, that he was going for a swim because Blue still was wearing his shoes.

He may have fallen in. It was dark and the grass near the pond may have been slick, Kayes said. Also, friends told police Blue had been drinking at local bars and might have been heavily intoxicated, he added.

Blue’s toxicology test results won’t be available for a few weeks, Kayes said.

Police were contacted about Blue’s disappearance by concerned friends late Saturday. On Sunday morning, dogs were able to track the scent from Blue’s T-shirt into the pond. At that point, police were 95 percent sure that was where they would find his body, Kayes said.

Hours later, his body was found in 8 feet of water.

“Nothing indicates any foul play,” Kayes said.

Autopsy results were expected late Monday afternoon, but the Northern Star was unable to obtain them by press time.

Mourning

A large group of Blue’s friends gathered near the pond on Sunday to mourn his death, said Blue’s friend Laura Houston, a communication major. A candlelight vigil was held as about 50 people prayed and played a song a friend had written for him.

On Monday afternoon, family members and friends moved some of Blue’s items out of his Stevenson Towers residence hall room, Houston said.

“We’re all sticking together,” Houston said.

Visitation information is expected today.