Missing teen Brissa Romero was under the influence of alcohol and THC when she drove her car into an Illinois pond and drowned

Missing teenager Brissa Romero was under the influence of alcohol and THC when she drove her car into an Illinois pond and drowned, a coroner has ruled.

The 17-year-old’s body was recovered by search crews on December 12.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office confirmed it received Romero’s toxicology report on Jan. 10 and found her alcohol and THC levels were above the legal driving limit.

She had a blood alcohol level of 0.16, twice the legal driving limit for those aged 21 and over, and her THC levels indicated recent use.

Romero went missing on December 4 while on her way to a work holiday party at Bowlero Bowling Alley. Her car was recovered by search crews in a retention pond just a mile away from where she was last seen alive.

The 17-year-old’s body was recovered by search crews on December 12

The teen’s THC level was 7.4 nanograms per milliliter and the driving limit in Illinois is five nanograms per milliliter.

The coroner’s office determined Romero’s death was an accident, with drowning in a retention pond as the official cause and ethanol intoxication as a factor.

Brissa was not in her Nissan Rogue when it was pulled from the water, but investigators believe she was in the car when it drove into the lake.

“Based on the condition of the vehicle and all the evidence we have at this time, it appears that Brissa was in that vehicle when it crashed into the lake,” Vernon Hills Police Chief Patrick Kreis said.

The car was removed from the pond at 4pm after a police supervisor spoke to a witness who saw a backpack floating on the water.

The police found the backpack and it appeared to belong to Brissa. So they called in additional troops to search the area and eventually find the car.

Police say the pond is near a T-intersection of Lakeview Parkway and Executive Parkway.

It is possible that Brissa was unfamiliar with the area and drove through the intersection instead of turning right or left, which would have caused her to drive over an embankment into the pond.

Surveillance footage from the night Brissa went missing shows the young woman making a pit stop at work to retrieve her iPad that she had forgotten before heading back to the party.

The video footage came from a fast food restaurant about a mile from the pond.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office confirmed it received Romero’s toxicology report on Jan. 10 and found her alcohol and THC levels were above the legal driving limit.

Surveillance footage from December 4 – the night Brissa went missing – shows the young woman making a pit stop at work to retrieve her iPad that she had forgotten before heading back to the party.

Officials said her phone last pinged near the party location, but no one at the party saw her.

The dark-haired, brown-eyed Romero, who stands 6 feet tall, wore a green long-sleeved shirt, a black vest, ripped black jeans and black Uggs.

Following her disappearance, police conducted an extensive search using drones and scoured local ponds for her vehicle, but nothing turned up until last night.

Jocelyn Rubi Romero told the news station last week that everyone in the family shares the location they are with their parents.

“She called my mom at 6:55 p.m. and said she was on her way here, and my mom kept looking at her location, and she was heading here,” Rubi Romero said, “but around the time she arrived, she didn’t see my mom called.’

Earlier, a vigil was held near Town Center Road and Milwaukee Avenue, the last known place Brissa was seen.

Brissa may not have been familiar with the area and drove through the intersection instead of turning right or left, which would have resulted in her driving down an embankment and into the pond.

Family and friends gathered to pray that Romero would be found safe and return home.

Romero’s distraught mother, Blanca Aguilera, clutched a large crucifix to her chest and cried as she said, “I want my daughter back as soon as possible.” I just want my daughter back.”

Romero had attended Harper College and was studying to become an ultrasound technician.

Aguilera said one of the last conversations she and her daughter had was about college and Romero’s future plans.

The teenager, described as a ‘hard worker’, was busy working two jobs before she went missing and was not someone who would run away from home.

“Someone came and got her, I don’t know what they thought,” the heartbroken mother said at the time. “I just want my daughter back.”