WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Investigators confirmed Tuesday that the body found inside a Purdue University residence hall's utility room Monday is that of Wade Steffey, 19.

Steffey, of Bloomington, vanished Jan. 13 and had been the subject of extensive searches in the weeks since then. The Tippecanoe County coroner's office ruled the cause of death as accidental by electrocution.

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Updated Images: Body Found In Purdue Dorm's Utility Room

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Purdue spokeswoman Jeanne Norberg said Steffey had been fatally shocked when he entered the utility room in an apparent attempt to enter Owen Hall to retrieve his coat. It appeared he tripped and fell onto a power transformer.

"He is believed to have died instantly," she said.

There are two doors leading into the room that are supposed to be locked at all times. It's not yet clear how Steffey got inside.

"We don't know if that lock worked, if it had been tampered with. We're going to find out," Norberg said.

During the search, maintenance staff entered the utility room, but because of the risk posed by the high-voltage lines, workers did not fully inspect its interior, Norberg said.

"When they searched this room they did not go deeply into this room. They did not see any evidence of Wade," she said.

The entrance to the utility room is about 50 yards from the door at Owen Hall where Steffey was seen trying to enter.

Steffey's parents, Dawn Adams and Dale Steffey, said Tuesday's announcement has brought them closure.

"There's a lot of missing pieces that were so puzzling before that make sense now," Adams said.

"It's been an incredible two months. It's been very difficult, but we've been very humbled by the outpouring of support and the level of concern," Dale Steffey said. "We're thankful today more than anything. We're just thankful that we have our son."

Around noon Monday -- the day classes resumed after a weeklong spring break -- Norberg said a worker investigating the noises unlocked a door leading to the utility room and found the body slumped over a piece of machinery.

The coed residence hall, which houses about 700 students, is near the last reported sighting of Steffey. Investigators said Steffey had just left a fraternity party on the north side of campus.

Steffey was reported missing after friends returned from the school's three-day break for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and could not find him.

Campus officials had staged several searches for Steffey, the most recent one on Sunday when about 60 volunteers, assisted by dogs, conducted a ground search.