The death of 23-year-old Zach Zenk is under investigation after the UW-Madison senior was found dead in his home early last week, campus and city officials said Monday.
His sister, Rebecca Zenk, said her brother went out to celebrate a friend’s acceptance to a program and “he got a little too drunk and, well, not a little too drunk—he got pretty drunk,” she said.
A friend took Zenk home, put him to bed, brought him a glass of water and asked him if he needed anything.
“[Zach] said ‘no,’ and then he just fell asleep,” Rebecca said.
After he failed to answer phone calls or go to work, Zenk was found in his room “a day or two later” by his girlfriend, who called the police, Rebecca said.
The Dane County Medical Examiner’s office told The Daily Cardinal an investigation is currently underway, but the cause of death has not yet been determined.
Madison Police Department public information officer Joel DeSpain said investigators are currently awaiting results from toxicology tests.
“We have nothing at this point to suggest anything suspicious took place,” DeSpain added.
Zach was an aspiring history major with a passion for computers and web design.
“He was very carefree and positive,” Rebecca said. “He was sort of sarcastic, very funny, just made everyone laugh.”
Jacob Dorff, a friend from grade school, also recalled Zach’s carefree attitude and sense of humor, describing a time in high school when Zach and his group of friends decided to paint his car hot pink.
“I don’t know what possessed us to do that, but Zach drove and loved that car for the next three years,” Dorff recalled. “Zach had a knack for having fun that was truly one-in-a-million.”
Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday at the Schumacher-Kish Funeral Home in La Crosse.
UW-Madison’s Division of Student Life is offering counseling services to any students who need it.
