Another death from excessive drinking?

It has happened yet again.

Excessive drinking is suspected in the death of another college-age Minnesotan, this time a 20-year-old Farmington man who was about to reenroll at St. Cloud State University.

After a night of partying and drinking games, Brian W. Threet was found dead on Saturday in the bedroom of his St. Cloud apartment, police said.

It appears to be the latest in a mounting toll of alcohol-related deaths among college-age Minnesotans.

His brother, Joshua Threet, said Monday that a preliminary autopsy report from the Stearns County medical examiner didn't show any other likely cause of death and that he was "led to believe ... acute alcohol syndrome" killed his brother.

Police declined to release further information in the case until they receive the Stearns County medical examiner's toxicology report, which is not expected for a couple of weeks.

"He was partying all night, and they found him in his bed," Joshua Threet said. "It was his roommate who found him" at about 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Even though Brian was not old enough to drink legally, he "liked to drink a little bit," his brother said. "It ain't hard" for people under 21 to find alcohol, he added.

Joshua Threet said his brother was in St. Cloud ''going out and partying" as many students do during winter break when classes are not in session.

Brian Threet graduated from Farmington High School, studied electrical engineering at Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis and had acquired a bartending license, his brother said.

Threet started at St. Cloud State in the fall of 2005 as a pre-business major and after a semester off, had registered for classes this spring.

His best friend, Geovani Quintero, who was with him Friday night, said Threet had a sharp sense of humor and was "one of the most giving people you'd ever meet."

"He was finally settling down, ready to take life seriously," Quintero said.

A night of partying

The two started drinking about 10:30 p.m. Friday as they played a popular drinking game called Beer Pong, Quintero said.

About 11:30 p.m., Threet left for another party, having consumed what Quintero called a moderate amount of beer. "He wasn't stumbling around," he said. "It was a relatively quiet night."

At 2 a.m. Saturday, Threet went to another party, Quintero said. Threet's friends at the last party guessed he stopped drinking about an hour later, he said.

"He wasn't wasted," Quintero said. "Brian was relatively good at keeping control. He knew his limits."

Threet and a female friend caught a ride home with a sober driver about 4 a.m. and he woke up briefly at 7:30 a.m. to say goodbye to the friend, Quintero said.

By Monday evening, a Facebook page called "Keep Brian in Your Hearts" had dozens of photographs of Threet, more than 400 members, information about his wake and funeral and comments lamenting his death.

But there was little mention of how Threet died. In fact, many posters reminisced about the times they spent drinking with Threet, referred to as "Pong" by at least two posters who wrote about playing Beer Pong with him.

In one comment, however, a poster talked about the lessons that could be learned from his death: "Hopefully this go's out and lets people realize that there is a limit to cut your friends off drinking, this is a fatal accident that know one saw coming."

'Not mission accomplished'

On Monday, a St. Cloud State senior administrator spoke with Brian Threet's father and expressed condolences on behalf of the school.

Mike Gillilan, interim associate vice president for student life and development, said he met in large groups with about 2,000 incoming freshmen during last fall's student orientation and addressed the perils of alcohol abuse.

Drinking has been "part of the American university scene ... and it will always be there," Gillilan said. He acknowledged that the "just say no" message doesn't seem to be getting through to today's students but "what they can hear are the messages of reducing harm through excessive drinking."

He said a recent survey showed St. Cloud's student drinking rates declined from the fall of 2005 to fall 2006, but "that's certainly not mission accomplished. ... We have to keep that trend going."

Latest in a series of deaths

In mid-December, Winona State University student Jenna Foellmi's body was found in an off-campus apartment in what police called a "classic case of binge drinking." Foellmi, of Brownsville, Minn., died after steadily drinking for more than 12 hours with friends, police said.

Police have said alcohol also played a role in the death of Rissa Amen-Reif, 22, of Eden Prairie. She was struck and killed by a car Nov. 18 in Mankato.

In late October, former Minnesota State University, Mankato prenursing student Amanda Jax died of acute alcohol poisoning after celebrating her 21st birthday. She had planned to return to the university in the spring. Jax's blood-alcohol content was nearly .46 percent, the medical examiner determined.

All three campuses -- St. Cloud, Winona and Mankato -- are part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. MnSCU administrators would like to see a rule changed that prohibits schools from notifying parents when their children are caught with alcohol or illegal drugs. A bill allowing the disclosure will be proposed again when the Legislature convenes next month.

Gillilan said such a change in disclosure would be "another tool" to limit the damage done when students abuse alcohol and drugs.

Visitation for Threet will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the White Funeral Home, 901 3rd St., Farmington. A funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday in the funeral home.

Joshua Threet said he hopes others learn from his brother's death. "I don't think he even realized this could happen," he said.

pwalsh@startribune.com • 612-673-4482 cblanchard@startribune.com • 612-673-4921